Everything Is Not What It Seems
by Transformersfan524
Summary: The war with the Quintessons resulted in Ratchet, the Prime's mate, death. As Jazz looks more into his death, he learns that there is more to what happened than anyone knew before. main pairings: Optimus/Ratchet rating probably will go up later
1. Chapter 1

I'm having a bit of trouble with Love Under Duress at the moment, so I've decided to start this. It's been in my head for a while, so I started writing. I haven't given up on Love Under Duress. Just taking a small break from it.

**Units of time as I use them**:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

**Pairings**:

Optimus Prime/Ratchet

Optimus Prime/Elita-1

Jazz/Prowl

Skyfire/Wheeljack

Smokescreen/Hot Shot

Bluestreak/Sideswipe/Sunstreaker

Elita-1/Galvatron

Megatron/Starscream

Skywarp/Thundercracker

Soundwave/Shockwave

Arcee/Bulkhead

Bumblebee/Barricade

**Summary**: The war with the Quintessons had resulted in Ratchet's death. Now, an orn later, Jazz looks deeper into Ratchet's death to try to find answers that would allow Prowl to find peace and move on from his carrier's death. As Jazz finds more questions than answers, a darker revelation regarding the medic's death comes about. Secrets on several ends come out, and as it turns out, everything is not what it seems.

**Warnings**: slash, mentions of character death, sticky, spark sex, mechpreg

**Notes**

1) This story is set in the Prime continuity, though it is extermely AU.

2) No war between the Autobots and Decepticons, so no faction.

3) Will contain a few elements from the movies and from G1. (The G1 elements are mainly characters that didn't show up in Prime.)

4) Takes place on Cybertron. No humans.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing except the plot!

* * *

Chapter 1

Deep within the Hall of Records in the capital city of Iacon, a lone, black and white mech sat at a table as he poured over various datapads that were strewn across the surface. The mech had been scanning the various datapads that were schematics of plans, reports, and the like from an incident that had happened quite some time ago.

The deep blue visor of the mech in question lit up as he read over the datapads, searching for the answers that his bondmate so needed in order to move on from the tragedy that had occurred so long ago.

"Jazz?"

The black and white mech looked up at the sound of his designation to see the archivist in charge of the Hall of Records standing in the doorway.

Alpha Trion had been in charge of the Hall of Iacon for more than ten vorn. Nothing happened in the hall without his knowing it. And for the mech sitting in front of him to be going over something so intently for joor upon joor was truly a shock.

After all, getting Jazz to sit still for a single joor was difficult in itself. For him to spend the last six joor going over datapads was more shocking than the archivist could explain.

"Oh. Hey, Alpha Trion. Sorry I've been taking so long." Jazz apologized.

"I am not upset at that, Jazz. You can take as long as you need to find whatever it is that you are searching for. I am just amazed that you have been here for six joor. It's not like you at all. You would cause Prowl to have a processor crash if he were to learn of this." Alpha Trion stated.

Jazz chose not to mention the fact that it was because of Prowl that he was down here in the first place. Jazz didn't care how long it took him to find the answers that his mate needed. He would search for the rest of his function if that was what it took to finally find the answers that would give Prowl the peace he needed. "It's just important what I'm looking for, and it's taking longer than I originally expected. Nothin' to worry about."

"Very well. If I can be of assistance, please just let me know." Alpha Trion then turned and left the black and white mech alone.

Jazz was glad the older mech had left. The fact was that the spy wasn't completely sure what it was that he was searching for. He didn't know what answers it was that Prowl needed to be able to move on, but he would do his best to find them. He had never failed his mate before, and he didn't plan to start failing now.

Jazz remained alone for another joor before another mech entered.

"Lieutenant Jazz?"

Jazz looked up and found himself looking at a light green and red mech with a bulkier build and understanding blue optics. "Senator Grindor. What can I do for you?"

Grindor made his way over to the mech. "Have you found what you were looking for?"

Jazz leaned back in his chair. "'Fraid not. In fact, I'm coming across more questions than answers."

"Oh?" Grindor made his way over to the black and white mech. "Perhaps you would like to explain to me what it is that is troubling you so much."

Jazz nodded before voicing his concerns.

* * *

Optimus Prime, the current Prime to oversee Cybertron, walked into his quarters. He had had a long, exhausting day. He just needed to get away and get some time to himself.

The red and blue mech made his way over to a chair that was situated so that he was able to see out the window and across the city of Iacon. The large mech fell ungracefully into the chair and released a depressed sigh. He shuttered his optics as his thoughts went in the direction they always did when he had nothing else to dwell on.

Ratchet. His lost mate.

The following day would make it a full orn since he had lost the mech who had held his spark for so long. Ratchet had been captured by the Quintessons, whom the Transformers had been at war with at the time. A team of femmes had been sent in to rescue the medic, but they reported that Ratchet had been killed before they were able to get to him and save him.

Since that day, there had been a hole in the Prime's spark that had never healed and would never heal until the cycle that he was reunited with Ratchet. He had loved Ratchet with everything he had, and there was no bot, mech or femme, who would ever take Ratchet's place in his spark.

Optimus knew that the worst part of it all was the fact that Ratchet had been sparked at the time of his capture. It was to be their first creations together, but they were lost with Ratchet.

While Ratchet had had two creations before that, Optimus had not. The fact that he had lost his mate and his creations had crippled the Prime. The pain had been overwhelming and had it not been for the love and support from his family, Optimus was certain that he would have never survived it. Feeling their bond severe had been the worst event that could have ever happened in his life.

Small arms wrapped around the Prime's shoulders from behind. "What's troubling you, Optimus?" a soft voice asked.

Optimus knew the voice as his femme consort.

After Ratchet's death, the Senate had been quick to demand that Optimus choose a new consort as it wouldn't do for the Prime to not have a consort. It had been an act that had quickly enraged several members of the Prime's family. They were all angry that the Prime was being forced to choose someone to replace Ratchet only a few joor after the Prime had learned of the loss of his mate. It was cruel to do something of that nature when Optimus was so grieved by all that he had lost.

Elita-1, Ratchet's sister, had become Optimus's consort solely as a means of getting the Senate off of the Prime's back. She only loved Optimus as a brother and would never be able to love him as a consort should love the Prime. But she would not, and she did this only as a means of protecting Optimus from the mechs and femmes who would have taken advantage of his sparkache and forced a bond he did not want onto him.

Optimus raised a large hand and covered Elita's much smaller one. "Tomorrow."

Elita understood. She always did. While she and Optimus would never be able to bring themselves to spark bond in a way that lovers would, they did share a bond. A bond forged of the love they both held for Ratchet and of the grief that both had felt upon Ratchet's demise.

The greatest loss was the fact that Ratchet's body had not been recovered and could not be entombed within the tomb of the Prime's where all Primes and their mates' bodies were entombed upon their deaths.

"I know, Optimus. It is a difficult day for us all." Elita told him.

Optimus sighed. "The pain hasn't lessened, Elita. It hurts now as much as it did when I first learned of his loss. As much as I know everyone wants me to move on from him-"

Elita's grip on him tightened. "Ignore what everyone says you are to do, Optimus. That does not matter. You have every right to not move on. Few can find it in their sparks to move on."

"I'm Prime, though." Optimus muttered.

Elita smiled. "Optimus, there is no law that states a Prime must spark bond. And there is no law that even states you must have a consort. What I did I did because I knew you wouldn't be able to say no to the Senate. Now, I know that you could."

Optimus knew that he would. If the Senate pressed the matter, the Prime knew that he would outright tell them no. No one could ever take Ratchet's place in his spark, and the Prime would not spark bond to one who he did not love. And he would never love anybot other than Ratchet. That was the way that it was, and that was the way that it would stay.

Optimus pulled on Elita's hand, indicating for her to come around.

Elita moved around the chair and sat on the stool on front of Optimus.

Optimus took the femme's hand on his own. "Thank you, Elita. For all that you have done for me since Ratchet's death. I'm not sure how I would have managed to pull through this without your help. You've been a true friend to me over this last orn."

Elita smiled. "You don't have to thank me, Optimus. We have been friends far longer than that. And you are my brother's mate. I wasn't asked to do it. I did it because I wanted to. And just because Ratchet has joined the AllSpark does not mean a fragging thing. You are always going to be family to me, Optimus."

Optimus smiled. "Thank you, Elita. You've been the friend that I needed for all this time."

Elita nodded. "In many ways, we've helped each other. Losing Ratchet hurt so many of us." Elita sighed. "Especially Prowl."

Optimus grew quiet at the thought of his step-creation. He had known that Prowl had been absolutely devastated by the loss of his carrier. And the Prime was well-aware of the fact that Prowl still struggled with dealing with Ratchet death. Even an orn later. "I know. I wish that there was something I could do to help him."

"We all deal with things in our own way, Optimus. Prowl will deal with this in time. Jazz has done what he can for him. Prowl and Ratchet were much closer than they ever allowed anyone to know. Despite appearances, Prowl was a lot like Ratchet. And they were far closer than most knew." Elita stated.

"I know. Prowl will most likely never fully recover from Ratchet's death." Optimus stated. As he would never fully recover from the loss of his mate.

* * *

Prowl sat at his desk immersed in his work as he normally was. As the Prime's second-in-command, the tactician had a great deal that he had to do. It took him most of his time to do it all and then there were times that he ended up working late to get everything done.

This cycle, though, the tactician found himself unable to concentrate on his work. He had been trying with all his might to do so, but it hadn't worked. His focus just was not on his work, and there was nothing that was going to allow him to think about it.

Finally giving up, the black and white mech dropped his stylus onto the table before he leaned back in his chair. He raised his hand and rubbed it over his faceplates.

An orn.

An entire orn since his carrier had been lost. It had seemed like so much longer to Prowl since his carrier's demise. Nothing had felt right ever since Ratchet had died. A part of Prowl's spark had died with his carrier; the part of him that loved Ratchet so much.

Prowl had tried to move on and find peace with his carrier's death, but it just had not happened. There were so many unanswered questions that the tactician had regarding his carrier's death. Questions that had haunted him for an orn. Questions that Prowl's battle processor refused to allow him to forget. Prowl knew that if anyone could hunt down the answers to the questions that he held it was his bondmate, Jazz.

Prowl hoped that Jazz was able to find the answers that he was looking for so that he could finally let go and stop dwelling so much on what happened.

Prowl knew that part of the reason he could not let go of it was because it had been his plan that the rescue team had used. It had been his plan that had been designed to save his carrier. It had been his plan that had failed to save his carrier.

Prowl just could not live with the guilt that came along with the knowledge that his plan had failed to save his carrier. It just weighed on him that it was his fault that his carrier had died.

Prowl hoped that Jazz could find the answers just so he could finally find some semblance of understanding as to why this had to happen.

* * *

Nemesis Prime, Optimus's sire, sat at a table drinking a cube of energon with his longtime friend Swiftwind. "An orn."

"Seems longer." Swiftwind muttered. The red and white mech was feeling a bit of depression sweep over him as he thought about his creation who had been lost so long ago. Swiftwind had taken it hard when he had received the news that his creation had died at the hands of the Quintessons.

"I know. How is Starlight?" Nemesis asked.

"She's already been crying. It doesn't matter that it was an orn since Ratchet died. It still hurts her as much as it did that day. I know now why it is so hard when a creator outlives their creation." Swiftwind shook his helm. "The pain of losing them is near unbearable."

Nemesis nodded. "I'm sorry that you've had to go through this, old friend. I can't even begin to imagine what you have had to deal with."

"Maybe, but I can't imagine being in Optimus's place. He lost Ratchet and their sparklings that day." Swiftwind stated.

"I know. Optimus has not dealt as well as the Senate expected. Although I'm not certain one could suffer the loss of one's mate while they were carrying and be able to deal well with it. Such pain is not something I would have wished on anyone. Certainly not my own son." Nemesis stated.

"I'm just grateful Elita was there for him. I know that she had been a great help to Optimus over this last orn. Primus knows what the Senate would have talked him into doing had she not been there to help him." Swiftwind mused.

Nemesis nodded his helm. "Before Grindor became head of the Senate, they would have talked Optimus into bonding to a bot of their choosing. Most likely a femme who is the daughter of one of the Senate members. Just so that they could control everything that happened."

"Indeed. Elita just wanted to help him and protect him from those who would have taken advantage of them." Swiftwind sighed. "Though this has hardly been easy on her. Elita misses Ratchet as well, and I know that she has grieved in her own way. I'm certain that Ratchet would have been grateful to her for what she has done for Optimus."

"Indeed." Nemesis glanced at his friend. "How are you truly holding up?"

Swiftwind gave Nemesis a bittersweet smile. "I'm surviving. I miss Ratchet dearly. There are no words to describe how it feels to lose your creation, regardless of their age. Every day I half expect to hear Ratchet shouting at Wheeljack for causing yet another explosion, or yell at Sideswipe and Sunstreaker some prank that they had played on him." Swiftwind released a sigh. "I know it won't happen, but I cannot help wishing that everything that happened back then was just a horrible recharge nightmare."

"I know. I'm certain that you're not the only one who has wished for that." Nemesis replied.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't ease the pain in the least." Swiftwind shook his helm. "I am not looking forward to tomorrow. It will be a difficult day."

"Yes. It will be." Nemesis himself truly missed Ratchet. He had seen just how happy Ratchet made his own son, and that was all that Nemesis wanted. He hated what the medic's death had done to his son.

* * *

Starlight sat in the kitchen of her home with a cube of energon sitting in front of her. The femme was thinking of her lost son and feeling the grief that pounded into her over the fact. It may have been an orn since she had lost him, but she had learned that nothing eased the pain. She still missed Ratchet as much as the day she first learned of his death. She would always miss her son.

"Grand-carrier."

Starlight turned toward the sound of the small voice and found herself looking at a small shuttle that was mostly white with red and gold thrown in. She smiled before standing up and walking over. "What can I do for you, Jetfire?"

"Can you come and play with us?" a second voice asked.

Starlight looked up to see a second small shuttle, this one mostly white with blue and gold. "Yes, Jetstorm. I believe that I can." She checked her internal chronometer. "Your sire should be here in about half a joor to pick you up."

"Then let's play now." Jetfire reached out and took hold of Starlight's hand and tugged on her arm, urging her to come over to where they were.

Starlight followed where her grand-creation was trying to get her to go and she spent the next half joor playing with her grand-creations. She was so immersed in playing with her grand-creations that she never heard the door to her home open.

"Carrier! Are you here?" Wheeljack called.

"In the playroom, Wheeljack." Starlight replied.

The inventor entered the room and found his carrier playing with his creations. "So, I take it everyone had fun today." He placed his hands on his hips as he spoke.

"Aw! Can't we stay a little longer, Sire?" Jetstorm asked.

"Jetstorm, if your sire says you need to go, then you need to go." Starlight told him.

"Nah. It's okay. Sky's workin' a little late. We can stay a bit." Wheeljack replied.

"Yay!" Jetstorm and Jetfire cried.

Starlight chuckled before turning to look at her son. "So, how was your day?"

"It was fine. Just a little busy." Wheeljack sat down by his carrier as they watched his creations play. "Tried to keep myself as busy as I could."

Starlight nodded. "I know what you mean."

It was difficult for Wheeljack in dealing with Ratchet's death as they were spark twins and held a strong bond between them. The severing of their twins bond had crippled him, and he was certain he would never have recovered from the death of his brother had it not been for Skyfire. His mate kept him together and helped him learn to live with the grief that Wheeljack felt. Even now, there was a part of Wheeljack's spark that still ached from the loss of the bond with his brother.

"It feels like it's been longer than it actually has. It feels like it should be at least a vorn since we lost him. Not just an orn." Starlight said.

"I know, Carrier. I miss him every day." Wheeljack stated.

"How Optimus has survived I'll never understand. I'm not sure I could have lived through losing Swiftwind." Starlight stated.

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Wheeljack sighed. "I spoke to Ironhide today. He and Chromia are going to try to come here tomorrow."

Starlight nodded. "I know. It still amazes me just how many bots cared so much about Ratchet. With his temperament, you would have thought there would have been less who liked him."

"Yeah. There was just something about Ratchet that drew some to 'im. Glad though. It shows just how much he was cared about." Wheeljack stated.

"I know." Starlight agreed. She watched as Jetfire and Jetstorm continued to play. Seeing them always made her think about what may have been for Ratchet and the sparklings he had carried. Ratchet and Skyfire had been sparked close together. Skyfire was only a few groon further in gestation than Ratchet was. It made Starlight wonder just what the sparklings Ratchet had been carrying would have been like. There were so many what ifs that came to her processors when she thought about Ratchet.

Wheeljack remained there a while longer before he made the decision to leave. "Well, we need to get goin'."

"But-" Jetfire stated.

"No, Jetfire. We have to go. Your carrier should be getting home before long." Wheeljack stated.

Both younglings groaned as they did not want to leave.

"Now do as your sire says. He knows best. Besides, you'll see me tomorrow." Starlight stated as she stood.

"Now, say goodbye to your grand-carrier." Wheeljack told them.

The two younglings ran to say goodbye to their grand-carrier.

"Bye, Carrier. I'll see you tomorrow." Wheeljack kissed her on the cheek before he left the house with his twin creations.

Starlight leaned against the wall as she allowed a tear to fall down her cheek strut. "Oh, Ratchet. You are missed so much."

* * *

Jazz had spent a great deal of time outlining for Grindor all that he had come across in looking over every minuscule piece of information they had on the events surrounding Ratchet's death: from his capture up to the failed rescue mission.

Grindor sat and listened to everything the spy had to tell him and was truly astounded by everything that he heard. These were things that he had not even considered, and they were questions that needed answering.

Once Jazz finished explaining all that he had found, the black and white mech sat back in the chair and allowed everything that he had said to sink into Grindor's processors. It had been a lot for Jazz himself to take in, and he had spent at least half of the time down here going over everything several times so that he truly understood what he had found.

"I see. I must say that you have given me a great deal to think about. And brought about a great many questions that need answering. These questions must not remain unanswered. It may finally give Prime some of the answers that I have no doubt he has asked about what happened." Grindor stated.

Jazz sighed. "I know." He was silent a moment. "May I ask a question that you may take offense to?"

"Certainly." Grindor never took offensive questions too personally depending on what they dealt with.

"The moment that I tell Optimus what I have found, he is going to demand that these questions be answered, which will mean opening a new investigation into Ratchet's death. What will the Senate say about that?" Jazz asked.

Grindor was silent.

"Most knew," Jazz continued, "that the Senate was not happy with Prime's choice of mate. Granted, he and Ratchet had been in a relationship for quite some time when he was still Orion Pax, and they were not happy when he refused to find a more suitable mate for a Prime. None of them were happy when they bonded. Will the Senate attempt to stop any investigation in Ratchet's death?"

Grindor considered Jazz's question. He himself knew that there were members of the Senate who would not like this. He knew some were pleased that Ratchet had died as they thought they could finally force the Prime to bond to a femme who the Senate controlled, meaning the Senate might could control the Prime.

However, Grindor had changed a great many things in the way the Senate worked since becoming its head, and the senator had no intention of being pressured by his fellow senators. These questions had to be answered.

Jazz hoped that he had not insulted the Senate head. After all, he's the one who could easily block any kind of deeper investigation into Ratchet's death to answer the questions that every member of Ratchet's family was bound to want answered.

"There will be those senators who will not want it investigated. It is no secret that many of the senators did not approve of Ratchet based solely on the fact that he was not of prestigious birth. Many thought somebot more suitable should have been Prime's mate. However, regardless of what they feel, Ratchet was the Prime's mate, and he deserves the honor of being remembered as such. And Prime deserves answers as to what happened to his mate. No bot deserves to have all these questions that are not attempted to be answered." Grindor stopped for a moment before continuing. "An investigation into this matter will be held. I will not allow it to be stopped. I am head of the Senate, and I will personally make the recommendation to Prime that a special investigation be held to determined just what happened to Ratchet."

Jazz nodded his helm. "Thank you, Grindor. I feel much better about this." The espionage expert looked over the datapads in front of him. "Prime, Prowl, and every other member of Ratchet's family as well as those who were close to him have wondered what went wrong in that rescue mission for far too long. Something about it never seemed right, so maybe we can finally find those answers."

Grindor nodded his helm. "These questions must be answered." He watched the black and white mech a moment. "Jazz, I am going to discuss with Prime the possibility of you heading up the special investigation team."

Jazz jerked his helm up, looking at the senator in utter shock. "Me! But why me? I mean, I'm a spy. I'm not an investigator. Besides, Ratchet was my mate's carrier. It'll be a conflict of interest."

"Perhaps, but you were the one who uncovered all this. It's only right that you be the one to follow through with this. Besides, I believe that Prime would appreciate having one he knows he can trust as head of this team, and I know that he would trust you." Grindor replied.

Jazz thought about that. "If Prime agrees, I'll do it." For Prowl, he would. The mech knew just how much Prowl had suffered since his carrier had been offlined, and Jazz would do anything to give Prowl some peace in this and finding the answers to these questions might be the way to do that. Once more, Jazz looked at the datapads scattered across the table. "We're going to need to take these datapads out of here to show everything to Prime. Do ya think Alpha Trion will make an exception to his rule about not taking the materials out of the hall?"

"I will discuss it with him. If all else fails, I will tell him what you have discovered. It if means finding answers to what happened to Ratchet, then he will do so." Grindor replied as he stood.

Jazz nodded his helm. "Think Prime would be upset if we discussed all this with him tomorrow. Given what tomorrow is."

Grindor was silent as he considered that. He knew it would be a hard day for the Prime, but there did not seem to be any better day than then. After all, the sooner this investigation was started, the better off they were going to be. "We will tell him tomorrow. He will want answers, and it will be better if the investigation is started soon. Consider who you want to be part of the investigative team, Jazz. Choose only those you trust and know will want to find the truth. I don't want anything happening that may jeopardize this. We need those answers."

Jazz nodded his helm. "I already have a few in mind."

"Good. Do not tell them yet." Grindor told him.

Jazz nodded in understanding.

Grindor left to talk to Alpha Trion.

Jazz started gathering the datapads together. He hoped that they could find answers. He himself had had some unanswered questions and knew he should have said something sooner, but thought it best to let the issue rest. Perhaps now they would all have all the answers they wanted and find true peace with the matter.

* * *

Optimus stood on the balcony of his quarters looking up at one of the Cybertronian moons. He was lost in his thoughts as he thought about what the following day would bring. His spark ached at the thought.

It had been an orn, but he still missed Ratchet dearly. There wasn't a cycle that went by that he didn't think of his mate. Some cycles, that was all he could think about.

Optimus allowed himself to think of the happy times that he had had with Ratchet. Those were the memories he wanted to remember more than anything.

He had still been the simple data clerk Orion Pax working in the Hall of Records with his carrier. He had been working there for almost an orn, and he had been told that there was a medic coming to do research for a paper he was working on. Orion was to give him all the help that he needed.

Orion had expected for the medic to be an old, gruff bot who held nothing but disdain for the younger generation. He had come across too many scientists and doctors doing research who were the same way.

While Ratchet had turned out to be older than he was, Orion had been taken aback by just how young he actually was. He had to admit that Ratchet had a gruff demeanor to him, but it was more like that was his personality in general, not that it was something that happened over time. Ratchet had been very easy to work with. The medic hadn't made unusual demands nor had he asked Orion to leave for him to do his research. In fact, Ratchet had asked Orion's help a great deal.

Once the research was over, Orion had assumed he wouldn't see Ratchet again. He would admit he was smitten with Ratchet over the time he spent in the hall researching.

To the young mech's surprise, he had left the hall one day to find Ratchet waiting for him. He hadn't been sure why the mech had been there until Ratchet asked him if he wanted to get some energon with him.

Orion had jumped at the chance, and it had been that way between them ever since. Ratchet had quickly informed Orion that he had two sons named Prowl and Smokescreen. He told Orion that their sire had abandoned them, and that they were a part of his life. Orion had been shocked, but accepted it. He had been quickly accepted by Smokescreen. It had taken longer with Prowl, but the archivist had ended up gaining Prowl's approval as well.

Ratchet and Orion had been together for several orn and had decided to bond when Orion had been named the next Prime.

Orion had been scared at being given such a title and had thought that he would never be able to do it. He had been sure that they had chosen wrong, but Ratchet was right there beside him and encouraged him to accept it. Ratchet had been his stronghold. It was because of Ratchet that Orion had become Optimus Prime and became the new Prime of Cybertron.

Optimus had been shocked and angry when the Senate demanded that he leave Ratchet and have a femme to be his mate as a femme would be considered a more suitable mate for the Prime, and they started to press several femmes onto him. Optimus hadn't been a fool as he knew that those femmes were all daughters of different senators. Optimus would not budge on the issue of Ratchet and told the Senate that he would not leave Ratchet. He told them that he and Ratchet had decided to bond before he was named Prime, and Optimus intended to bond with him regardless. Optimus had bonded with Ratchet despite the protests of the Senate, and the Prime couldn't have been happier that he made that choice. He knew he had chosen right.

Optimus had been ecstatic when Ratchet told him that they were having two sparklings of their own. He had helped Ratchet raise Prowl and Smokescreen since they were in their middle youngling stellar cycles and had grown to love those two as if he were their sire. However, it was different to learn he would have sparklings with Ratchet. It wouldn't change how he felt about Smokescreen and Prowl, though.

In the end, Optimus had lost everything during the war with the Quintessons. He had lost and Ratchet and their sparklings. In truth, he had lost a part of himself as well.

With a heavy spark, Optimus turned and returned to his quarters. He looked around the room that he shared with Ratchet. He had never been able to get rid of some of the items that Ratchet had kept in the room. As much pain as those items brought, losing them would be even harder.

Life without Ratchet had been hard at the start and it still was. Optimus knew that Prowl and Smokescreen had needed as much support as he had. Optimus had been there for them as well during that rough time. Even though Ratchet was gone, Prowl and Smokescreen were his sons, and they always would be.

Perhaps all their sparks would heal from Ratchet's absence one cycle.

But not right now.

Optimus climbed into his berth and curled up under the thermal blanket. Tomorrow would be difficult. Even more so than a normal cycle.

Optimus slowly drifted off into a fitful recharge as dreams of what the Quintessons had done to his mate plagued his processor.

* * *

Let me know what you thought of this, and let me know if you think I should continue!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the support so far!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

The first section is in italics and its Optimus's dream/memory.

**Disclaimer**: Don't own anything except the plot!

* * *

Chapter 2

_Optimus entered his quarters quietly before locking the door behind him. The Prime made his way into his quarters and then headed toward the berth room. He peered in to find a figure lying on the berth under a thermal blanket. Optimus made his way into the berth room, taking care to be quiet so that he would not disturb his recharging mate. He reached the berth and noticed that the white and orange mech was in recharge. Optimus smiled gently. He could never get over how peaceful and innocent Ratchet appeared while he recharged. It was rare that Ratchet was this peaceful given the mech's personality. It was quiet moments like this that Optimus was reminded why he had fought the Senate so hard on the issue of his bonding with Ratchet. _

_Truthfully, Optimus was rather concerned about his mate at the moment. His mate had been sick the last few cycles and had spent the last three mornings in the wash racks as he purged his tanks. It had left the Prime truly concerned that there was something wrong with his mate. It has taken some time, but Optimus had finally convinced his mate to go see Fixit about a check-up. It was never easy convincing Ratchet to go see a medic about his own health as Ratchet considered himself more than capable of determining when he needed medical attention, but this time, the Prime had managed to win the argument with Ratchet. By some miracle that only Primus could have pulled off. _

_Optimus reached over and gently shook the medic, trying to rouse him. "Ratchet."_

_Ratchet released a small groan before he finally onlined his optics. He glanced tiredly over his shoulder and found himself looking into his mate's worried sapphire optics. "Orion? I didn't realize that you would be back already."_

_Optimus smiled. "It's actually rather late, Ratchet. My meetings ran a bit longer, so I had to get caught up on some things."_

_Ratchet realized that his mate was right about that. He assumed that he had fallen into recharge while waiting for Optimus to return. "Sorry. I had intended to remain online until you got him." The medic sat up as he spoke to his mate._

_Optimus sat down on the berth beside Ratchet. "I'm not concerned about that, Ratchet. You have not been well the last few cycles. I cannot fault you for getting necessary recharge." He slipped an arm around Ratchet and pulled him close._

_Ratchet rested his helm on Optimus's shoulder, grateful for the close contact with his mate._

"_Did you go see Fixit like I asked you to?" Optimus asked. _

_Ratchet sighed. "I promised you that I would go, didn't I?"_

_Optimus smiled lightly. "Yes, I know you did. But I also know you, and you have never liked having to go see another medic in concern of your own health. Not even your own sire."_

_Ratchet growled. "And since when have I ever broken a promise to you?"_

_Optimus had to admit that Ratchet had never gone back on his word with him. _

_Ratchet sighed. "In answer to your inquiry, yes, I did go see Fixit today. He did a full physical on me, and I am not dying, if that is what concerned you." _

"_Then what is wrong?" Optimus asked. _

_Ratchet lifted his helm and looked his mate in the optics as a rare soft smile crossed the medic's lip-plates. "In short, I'm sparked."_

_Optimus froze. He questioned whether or not he had heard his mate right. He had wanted to have a sparkling with Ratchet, but they hadn't even discussed having a sparkling any time soon._

"_Orion?" Ratchet was concerned with the way that his mate was acting. He had thought that Optimus would be happy about the fact that they were going to have a sparkling. He knew that Optimus had helped him raise Prowl and Smokescreen as if they were his own, but he thought Optimus would be thrilled to have a sparkling that was biologically his._

"_Are you sure?" Optimus asked. He needed to be sure about this before he allowed himself to become too excited about it._

"_Yes, Optimus. I am very sure. Fixit was also sure." Ratchet smiled. "And we're having twins."_

_That did it. Optimus pulled Ratchet close and kissed him passionately as there was no other way he felt that he could react._

_That was more the reaction that Ratchet had been expecting from him. _

"_I can't believe this, Ratchet! We're going to have twins!" Optimus had finally allowed his excitement to take over._

_Ratchet smiled. "Yes. We are. I know that we hadn't talked about having a sparkling yet."_

"_That doesn't matter, Ratchet. It doesn't matter that we didn't plan this. What's important is that we are going to have a sparkling." Optimus told him._

_Ratchet smiled. "I had thought that that would be you reaction."_

"_Of course it is." Optimus leaned forward and kissed Ratchet again. "I can't wait until they get here."_

_Ratchet laughed. "Well, we have a bit of time before that happens."_

_It didn't matter to the Prime about that. What really mattered was that he and his mate were going to have a sparkling._

* * *

Optimus came out of recharge at the sound of his internal alarm chiming, informing him that it was time for him to rise from the berth. The Prime glanced around his berth room before a depressed sigh escaped from him. It was only a dream. Always only dreams. It was at times like this that Optimus cursed his dream cycles. They were filled with memories of Ratchet from the past, and those dream cycles were always of the happy times with Ratchet. The times that Optimus had found himself cherishing so much.

It had been a truly happy time for the Prime when he had learned that Ratchet was sparked. Optimus had helped raise Prowl and Smokescreen. They had been very young at the time and had come to view Optimus as their sire, biology be slagged, as Smokescreen as so eloquently stated. And the thought of raising two more with Ratchet had truly made the Prime happy.

But it had all been taken from him by the Quintessons. They had taken Ratchet's life and taken the lives of their unborn sparklings at the same time. Ratchet had only been halfway through the second stage, but far enough along that they knew they were having a ground mechling and seeker femmeling.

Optimus sighed again as he forced himself to rise from the berth. He headed into the wash racks and washed before he headed out into his quarters where Elita was already up.

While Optimus and Elita did share quarters as they were publically known as a couple and Elita was known as Optimus's consort, the two did not share a room. They did not share any deep feelings for each other except for those of a brother and sister. They had never once been intimate with each other, and they had no plans to. It was a way to keep the Senate off the Prime's back. Nothing more. There were actually several different rooms as a part of Optimus's lavish quarters he had as Prime. Elita merely occupied one of the other rooms. The sitting area was one of the rooms they shared equally.

Upon hearing Optimus leave his berth room, Elita turned and offered him a smile. "Good morning, Optimus."

"Morning, Elita." Optimus replied with as much cheer as he could muster. Which was not a lot on any level.

Elita understood the sadness that was evident in the Prime's voice. She, too, felt an overwhelming sadness at the reminder of what this day was. "If you do not wish to discuss this day, you don't have to, Optimus. No one will fault you for it. We all understand that today is going to be hard for you, and we don't want to make this any harder than it already is."

Optimus offered her a small smile. "I know that, Elita, and I appreciate the sentiment, but its better this way. Remembering Ratchet is a way to keep his memory alive in my own spark. I need this more than you think."

Elita nodded her understanding. "Ironhide and Chromia arrived only a few joor ago. They're settling in their room. Smokescreen and Hot Shot arrived late in the night. Ultra Magnus should be here in a few joor."

Optimus was grateful to hear that so many of the bots who had been so important to Ratchet and who considered Ratchet important were coming. It would be a good way to remember Ratchet.

And it always warmed Optimus's spark to know that so many mechs and femmes cared so much about Ratchet. It meant that Ratchet had touched a good many more lives than anybot would have guessed.

Optimus walked over to the dispenser and got himself a cube of energon. He started to sip at it slowly.

"Are you going to be doing any work today?" Elita asked.

"No. Not unless Ironhide wrangles me into a training match. I wouldn't have managed to get much work done today anyway. My thoughts would have been elsewhere." Optimus answered.

Elita nodded. "That's why Wheeljack's not going to his lab today."

Optimus choked on his energon and coughed to clear his intakes. "Wheeljack isn't going to his lab? At all?"

Elita shook her head in the negative.

"I don't believe it. I didn't think that anything would make him stay out of his lab." Optimus murmured.

"Well, he tried working while he was grieving over Ratchet, and well, he had five times as many explosions as normal. Skyfire forbid him from the lab for a while. 'Jack's processors would be on Ratchet today, not work. Safer for him and everyone else if he just takes today off." Elita answered.

Optimus nodded. "Never thought it was possible for Wheeljack to be more lethal than he was on a normal basis."

"Well, they were spark twins. It hit him hard." Elita stated softly.

Optimus nodded. He knew just how close the two were. He had known from the start of his relationship with Ratchet that Ratchet and Wheeljack were close. The Prime knew that it had been just as painful for Wheeljack to lose the bond with Ratchet as it had been for him. After all, that bond had been a part of Wheeljack's life for far too long.

"In any case, I think just about everyone is going to be around at some point today." Elita stated.

"Most don't celebrate the day that they lost a loved one." Optimus murmured.

"I don't consider it a party. It's more of a cycle for us all to remember Ratchet. All things considered, we're all still grieving for Ratchet in a big way." Elita stated.

Optimus had to agree with that. There were still days that it felt like he wouldn't survive the grief and loneliness that he felt in his spark. And the Prime was certain that he would always feel that crushing grief.

After all, there was a reason that few bots were ever able to bond to another after the loss of their mate. In most cases, there was no moving on from that one bot whom would always hold their spark.

* * *

Jazz sat silently in the sitting room of his and Prowl's rooms. Like Optimus, the bonded pair's quarters were larger due to the fact that Optimus considered Prowl a son. Granted, they were smaller than the Prime's, but still large. Especially for two mechs.

The black and white saboteur was sitting silently in a chair, gently tapping his foot on the floor while he drank a cube of energon. He had not recharged well after his discovery the day before. He had far too many questions roiling around in his processors. There was so much that he had learned about the day that his carrier-in-law had died, and it was hard to believe that there had been so much left unknown for so long. It had been an orn since Ratchet died.

An orn! All of this should have been found out a long time ago! They should have already had the answers to these questions that Jazz come across, slag it!

And now it was going to be harder to find those answers, and Jazz knew that there were a lot of bots who were not going to be able to rest well until all of the questions about Ratchet's death were answers, namely Optimus, Prowl, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, Elita, Starlight and Swiftwind.

Jazz knew that he had a lot of work ahead of him, but he was willing to tackle all of that work if it mean giving everyone answers and peace of processors at last.

The saboteur had not told Prowl what he had learned. He knew that Grindor wanted to talk to Optimus about all of this that day, and Jazz knew that it was probably best if Optimus was one of the first one that learned about all of this. But Jazz intended to ask Grindor if a few others could be there. After all, all of Ratchet's family should hear this, and there were a lot of his friends who needed to know this as well.

Prowl exited their berth room and came out to find that his mate was sitting in a chair quietly sipping at his energon while appearing lost in his thoughts. Prowl frowned. This was not like his mate at all. His Jazz could rarely sit down for more than a few kliks before he was up bouncing around for some reason or another. It was one of the reasons the two had clashed at first. So finding Jazz sitting quietly was shocking. Especially the quiet part. Jazz would normally have some of the music that he loved listening to going by now.

Prowl walked over and set his hands gently on Jazz's shoulders and leaned down to kiss Jazz's sensory horns lightly. "Are you all right, Jazz?"

"I'm fine, Prowler. Just thinkin'." Jazz replied.

Prowl frowned. "Normally, you think while dancing to music."

Jazz knew that he was right, but this was just one of those occasions where the saboteur would not manage to think clearly with music. And this wasn't something he could mess up on. "I know, Prowler. Guess I just didn't feel like listening to music yet."

Prowl frowned. That didn't sound like his mate at all. "Are you sure that you're all right, Jazz? You've seemed upset about something since you got back from the Hall of Records yesterday."

Jazz felt a bit uncomfortable at where this was heading. As much as he wanted to tell Prowl everything that he found, he knew that he needed to wait. Besides, he wasn't sure what Prowl would think when he heard everything that the saboteur had learned while at the Hall of Records. He didn't even know what Grindor told Alpha Trion to convince the archivist to let him take all those datapads out of the Hall of Records. Alpha Trion might have known everything by now, but that wasn't something that Jazz was certain about.

"Jazz, what did you find out yesterday?" Prowl knew why Jazz had gone since the tactician was the one to ask Jazz to go.

Jazz sighed. "I'll tell you later, Prowler."

"Jazz-" Prowl started.

Jazz rose and turned to face Prowl. "I promise that I will tell you later, Prowler. Just not right now."

Prowl sighed before nodding his helm in agreement. "Very well, Jazz. But tell me soon."

"I will, Prowler. I promise." Jazz assured him. He hated not telling his mate anything, but he knew that it was necessary for the time being.

* * *

Optimus had still been a bit uneasy about seeing everyone, but this had been his idea. He just felt that everyone who had cared so much for Ratchet needed to be together so that they could all remember the great mech that Ratchet had been.

As Optimus walked toward the conference room that would be used, he came across his two brothers, the twins Megatron and Galvatron. Megatron was the High Lord Protector and worked alongside Optimus while Galvatron was a high ranking military officer. Both were seen as brutes, but they got the job done. Megatron was careful and enjoyed planning while Galvatron seemed a bit insane to anyone that knew him.

Optimus always felt that he had wronged Galvatron by allowing Elita be known as his consort considering the fact that he knew his brother was in love with Elita. He had never been able to overcome the guilt that came along with that even thought his brother had told him not to worry about it.

Truthfully, Galvatron knew the whole truth behind Optimus and Elita's relationship, and was grateful that Elita had been willing to do that for his brother. The purple mech knew that Optimus would have been duped by the Senate in bonding with a bot who the Senate would use to try to control the Prime. At least with Elita that would never happen.

"How are you doing, Orion?" Megatron asked.

Optimus sighed. "I'm surviving, Megatron." He glanced over at his older brother. "How did the Senate handle the fact that neither of us are working today?"

"The way one would expect them to. They were upset and tried to demand that we work, regardless of what the day is." Megatron smirked. "Although I put them in their place and reminded them that we had not taken much time off since our ascension to our roles, and that we deserved a day off." Megatron shrugged. "I might have also convinced Fixit to tell the Senate that it was also for our own health as he was concerned about us overworking."

Optimus shook his helm. "The Senate has no sense of decency."

"Of course not." Galvatron shook his helm. "We all know that they were glad when we lost Ratchet. I wouldn't be surprised if they had a party to celebrate it."

"Galvatron!" Megatron hissed. He knew that that was something that was not going to help Optimus deal with this day.

"It's all right, Megatron. That is something that I myself have contemplated. Honestly, I would be surprised if the Senate didn't do that. They never hid their dislike of Ratchet, and while publically they may have given the appearance of being grieved by Ratchet's loss, they could have cared less." Optimus stated. He wish he could prove they had had a party just to expose the Senate for what they really were. Sparkless bureaucrats. There were a few of them who were honest and good sparked, like Grindor, but they were few and far between.

"Well, let's not worry about them today." Galvatron stated.

The three brothers entered the conference room to find that there were many mechs and femmes already there.

Chromia was sitting in a chair drinking a cube of energon with Fixit sitting right beside her, talking to the blue femme. Ironhide stood behind his mate, but was deep in conversation with Starscream. Skywarp was busy fawning over Smokescreen and Hot Shot's mechling Dropkick, who was a Praxian like his carrier. Hot Shot, meanwhile, was talking to Thundercracker and Shockwave. Starlight, Swiftwind, Alpha Trion, and Nemesis were all at the back of the room speaking quietly to one another. Wheeljack was talking to Soundwave and Shockwave about a project he was currently working on while Skyfire was keeping an optic on Jetfire and Jetstorm, making sure the two small shuttles did not get themselves into any kind of trouble.

"Am I late?"

Optimus, Galvatron, and Megatron all turned to find Ultra Magnus standing behind them.

Optimus smiled. "Not at all, old friend. We just arrived here ourselves."

The four mechs entered the conference room.

Elita, Jazz, and Prowl soon followed.

"So, where are the terror twins and Blue at?" Smokescreen asked. He really wanted to see his nephew, whom he hadn't seen since Dropkick's birth.

"They'll be along soon enough." Prowl answered before going over to see his nephew.

Elita made a beeline for Chromia. "'Mia, how are you?"

Chromia smiled. "I'm fine, Elita. Really." She glanced back at her mate with a smile. "Trust me. I get asked how am by 'Hide all the time."

Ironhide grunted. "You're in the final two groon of gestation, 'Mia. Forgive me for being a little worried about you."

Chromia rolled her optics. "Worried? Try insane, 'Hide. One would think that I was dying, not sparked from the way that you act half the time."

Ironhide glared at his mate.

This type of bickering between the two mates wasn't completely uncommon.

It was then that Bluestreak, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker arrived.

"Sorry that we're late." Bluestreak apologized.

"What happened? Sunshine have to redo his paintjob?" Skywarp asked.

Sunstreaker glared at Skywarp. "Oh, can it, Skywarp. Just because you don't care at all about your own paintjob doesn't mean that I shouldn't worry about mine." He always found it distasteful that Skywarp seemed to always have a scratched up paintjob while his own yellow paintjob was usually pristine unless something had happened to chip it, and then the yellow mech normally touched it up as quickly as he could manage. "And don't call me Sunshine!"

"At least I don't freak out because of one little scratch." Skywarp retorted.

Sunstreaker growled.

Bluestreak reached out and placed a hand on Sunstreaker's arm. "Come on, Sunny. Not today, please. We're not here to fight."

"Why not? Doc was always ready to throw a wrench whenever someone pissed him off." Jazz stated.

The room grew silent at the first mention of why they were really there.

"Yeah. You ought to know, Jazz. You certainly managed to piss him off all the time. You're lucky that you and Prowl were bonded by then, or he might have graduated to full blown murder." Ironhide stated.

The group laughed at that.

"You think that was bad? You should have seen him the first time Prowl introduced me to the doc. I swear I didn't fear Primus and Unicron combined as much as I feared Ratchet in those moments." Jazz stated, shuddering at the memory.

"What? Did he have a wrench in hand?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"No." Jazz grimaced. "He was cleaning his set of scalpel. All ten of them while telling me that if I ever did anything to hurt Prowl that he would come after me and no one would ever find my body. He might have also mentioned that it would be a slow and painful way to die."

The room burst into a fit of laughter.

"Yeah. That was Ratchet. Threats were his specialty." Starlight agreed.

"Only Ratchet never made a threat that he wasn't willing to carry out." Wheeljack piped up.

"Isn't that the truth." Sideswipe muttered.

Elita glanced over at Sideswipe. "The only problem is that you went out of your way to piss Ratchet off, Sideswipe. Even before you and Sunny got together with Blue."

"It was fun seeing how much it would take to piss him off. And it really helped with my dodging skills." Sideswipe stated.

"What dodging skills?" Fixit asked. He glared at the red twin. "As I recall, he never missed you, and I was the one that always ending up fixing the dents that he caused."

"And he pulled me into it more often than not." Sunstreaker muttered.

"He wasn't always like that. Sure, Ratchet was always a bit on the gruff side, but he used to be more like Prowl. He leaned toward the side of logic and his temper was more tame. In fact, it took a lot to send him into a full blown rage." Swiftwind glanced over at Wheeljack. "I believe we have Wheeljack to thank for him being so temperamental."

"What did I do?" Wheeljack seemed genuinely confused.

"All of the explosions that you had ended up giving him a bad temper." Starlight clarified.

"Oh." Wheeljack grinned. "But as I recall, it did give Ratchet a lot of practice as far as his medical practice went."

There was a collective groan.

"You got to admit that Carrier was the best medic there was." Smokescreen remarked.

"He was. There's a reason why his talents were sought out by so many bots. They knew how good he really was." Optimus agreed.

The stories, the good memories that they had of the lost mech, continued to come out.

* * *

Grindor sat at his desk as he considered everything that he had learned from Jazz the cycle before. It had been a great deal to process, and he had needed this time to consider everything before joining Jazz in confronting the Prime about what had been learned. It would be difficult to have to tell the Prime all this, but it was necessary. Grindor was many things and an honest mech was one of them.

Grindor was not stupid, foolish, nor ignorant. He was well-aware of the fact that there were a great many senators who had hated the fact that their Prime had chosen to bond with Ratchet. They all considered him unworthy to be the mate of a Prime, and they had wanted the Prime to bond with somebot more suitable. Somebot that they could use to control the Prime.

At that time, Grindor had been a lower politician. He had been shocked that such a young Prime had stood up to the Senate in such a way, but it had also impressed him. He saw that the Prime was not willing to fall for the Senate's political games. As time passed, Grindor had kept up with everything and had learned that the Senate had tried to trick Ratchet more than once to make him appear an unsuitable mate for the Prime. They had tried political games on the medic that had not worked. Ratchet, as it turned out, was well-versed in politics and knew how to play the game. He had easily beat the Senate at their own game, and that had only pissed the Senate off even more.

The Quintesson war had been the only thing that ceased the Senate's actions against the Prime's mate, and that was only because the Senate knew that a united race was needed to combat the Quintessons.

But Grindor knew that all of the senators who hated Ratchet were pleased at his death. Grindor also knew, as did most of Cybertron, the Senate had immediately pushed for the Prime to choose a new mate as they felt a Prime without a consort was not acceptable. Grindor had been new to the Senate at this time, so he had not been able to do much about that. But the senator had loathed what they were doing. Forcing a mech who had known his mate was dead only a few joor to choose a new mate was below cruel. Grindor saw the political move that it was as they were forcing femmes on the Prime who were senators' daughters, meaning that the Senate could control the daughters, which meant that they could control the Prime given the emotional turmoil he was in.

The announcement that Optimus had chosen Elita-1 as his knew consort had been shocking to say the least. His deceased mate's sister was the last femme that anybot would have expected the Prime to choose. For a time, there had been rumors that they had wanted Ratchet to die so that they could be together. And then there were rumors that the Prime had betrayed Ratchet with Elita. With time, though, the truth came to light. Elita and Optimus held no intimate relationship. It was purely for show. A way to get the Senate off he Prime's back without the Prime being forced to have a true relationship with another so soon after Ratchet's death.

The Senate attempted to end the relationship, but they could find no law to aid them, so they were forced to allow the faux relationship to continue.

Once Grindor, who had risen to political promise, had become the head of the Senate, he took control of the Senate and reigned in their attempts to force the Prime to truly bond to Elita or another femme. Grindor had long since come to respect the Prime, and he had respected Ratchet as well, so the mech had made sure that the attempts t control the Prime ended. Many senators tried to fight him, but Grindor had the gift of oratory, and he had easily persuaded some senators to cease their actions. Grindor had reigned in the illegal actions of the Senate and had gotten them under control.

Once he was assured that Grindor was truly a political ally to him, Optimus had begun to go to Grindor for help and advice on political matters. The Prime trusted the new head of the Senate and was impressed with how Grindor had been able to convince the Senate to agree to some measures that Optimus had wanted to impose for orns. Measures that had ended up helping the lower class, a class that the Senate couldn't have cared less about. They only cared about the upper class bots as they were the ones who kept the Senate powerful. However, Grindor knew that the support of the lower classes was also important and had supported the Prime in his ventures.

Since becoming head of the Senate, Grindor had become a well-known political figure to the upper and lower class alike. Many of the upper class bots held disdain for Grindor's will to help the lower class miscreants, as they referred to them, but many of the upper class didn't care as long as Grindor did not take away their luxuries. Most of the lower class held nothing but respect for Grindor as he had helped many of them get out of the hole that they were in.

Grindor had become one of the Prime's confidantes, and he would willingly back the Prime up if the Prime ever chose to give up the façade of Elita being his consort and let her go to be with the mech she really wanted to be with. He knew that the Prime still loved Ratchet, and he knew that that was never going to chance. Grindor could not bring himself to force the Prime to take another mate when it would only cause him more pain. Optimus had handled all political matters alone as Elita preferred to remain out of them and focus on her femme unit in the military. Optimus could handle the political matters without a mate, and Grindor would support him in this.

Grindor sighed as he leaned back in his chair. While he knew that the Prime trusted him and supported Grindor in his political endeavors, the senator couldn't help but wonder how the Prime would react to all this. It would come as a great shock to him, and Grindor had no doubt that Optimus was going to want answers that he had long been denied.

Grindor had been surprised when Jazz contacted him earlier and suggested that a lot of those in attendance at the memorial for Ratchet might want to know what they had learned as well. Grindor hadn't been sure if letting all of them know about what had been uncovered was a good idea, but he had seen the logic in what Jazz had said. They all cared about Ratchet a great deal, and they would all want to know what had been uncovered. It would be best if they were all told at the same time what was to come.

With another sigh and a heavy spark, Grindor rose before making his way from his office and toward the exit of the Senate building. He would have to go the Prime's palace and speak with them personally. He was not sure how this would end and prayed that all of them kept their cool about what was to be learned.

* * *

"So, arguments with Ratchet never ended well for you, did they?" Galvatron asked, looking over at his younger brother.

Optimus sighed. "No, they did not. Normally, I lost them. Whether I was right or not. And the few that I did win did not end well for me."

"Let me guess. Kicked out of the berth." Megatron surmised.

"Most of the time." Optimus agreed.

"That's where Prowler gets it!" Jazz exclaimed.

"Starlight normally just threatened to not interface with me for a while." Swiftwind smirked. "Of course, that never lasted."

"Swiftwind!" Starlight growled.

Jetfire looked up at his carrier and asked, "Carrier, what does interfacing mean?"

Skyfire shot Swiftwind a dirty glare for that one. "That's not anything you need to concern yourself with right now, Jetfire. That's something you'll learn about when you're older."

"Okay." Jetfire went off to play with his twin.

"Sorry." Swiftwind tried.

Skyfire growled. "That is not a conversation I want to have them with when they aren't even an orn yet."

Every other bot wisely kept their mouths shut at the obviously upset carrier's demeanor and the subject was quickly changed.

"Hey, 'Jack. What did Ratchet do the first time you had one of your explosions?" Shockwave asked.

"Not what you would have expected. He was really upset and worried that I had nearly killed myself. Was actually making sure I was all right for a few cycle after that." Wheeljack laughed. "Of course, after the hundredth explosion, he started getting irritated with me."

"Really doesn't sound like Ratchet." Ironhide murmured.

"It was before Wheeljack became known as a menace to science and society." Smokescreen piped up.

"I am not a menace!" Wheeljack protested.

"Yes, you are!" everyone else chorused. Then everyone started laughing at the inventor's frustrated expression.

Skyfire wrapped an arm around Wheeljack. "'Jack, as much as I love you, you can be a menace with all of the explosions that you have."

Wheeljack huffed.

The group still laughed at the expression on Wheeljack's faceplates.

A few moments later, the door to the conference room opened, and Grindor walked in. "Am I interrupting?" He had hoped to give them a few joor before having to interrupt with the news that he and Jazz had to share with them.

Jazz's jovial countenance instantly sobered as he was the only one who knew exactly what it was that Grindor was there to talk about.

"Grindor, I thought that I made it clear that we weren't going to be doing any work today." Megatron told him, obviously not happy that the senator was there.

"I understand that, Megatron, but this is something that needs to be discussed now. I'm afraid it is that important." Grindor told him.

Optimus knew Grindor, and he knew that if it was so important that Grindor needed to come now, then it must truly be important. "Very well, Grindor." He made to tell everyone else to go so that he and Megatron could speak with Grindor.

Jazz figured that he had better speak up. What needed to be said might come easier for everyone if it came from him. He stepped forward. "Optimus, I think most everyone here is going to want to hear what needs to be said."

Optimus turned. He could easily tell from that statement that Jazz knew exactly why Grindor was here. "Jazz, what is going on?"

Jazz steeled himself before speaking. "Optimus, it's about what happened to Ratchet an orn ago. There's some things about his death you have to know."

* * *

Drop a review and tell me what you thought!


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 3

A deadly silent hush fell over the room as exactly what Jazz had said sunk into everybot's processors. Hearing that there were unknown facts about Ratchet's death that needed to be discussed was truly shocking.

For several moments, no one spoke. Most in the room were waiting for a reaction from Optimus, who would be one of the most affected by what was just said.

Jazz was waiting nervously to see the reaction from the Prime. He knew that what he was going to end up telling him was not easy and would not be easy for him to process due to what is implied in his findings, but it was something that the Prime needed to know. The saboteur just hoped that the Prime would remain calm when he heard everything.

Optimus was beyond shocked. There was something about Ratchet's death that he needed to know? Didn't they already know everything that they needed to about Ratchet's death? What more did they need to know? Ratchet had been killed an orn ago, so anything that needed to be made known about what happened would have been said then.

However, Optimus had known Jazz for a very long time. The black and white spy was Optimus' lieutenant and one of the mechs that the Prime would trust his life with. Therefore, if Jazz said that there was something more that he needed to know, then there was something more that he needed to know. "What have you uncovered, Jazz?"

Jazz glanced over at Jetfire and Jetstorm. "Perhaps somebot should take the little ones out of here. This isn't something for their audios."

Starlight realized that Jazz was right about that, and she also knew that she didn't want to hear what was about to be said. It had been difficult enough to hear that her son had been killed after his capture by the Quintessons. She wasn't sure her spark could handle hearing anything else on the situation. "I'll take them to the playroom and let them play." She looked over at Smokescreen. "Would you like me to take Dropkick as well?"

Smokescreen wasn't sure how he was going to be emotionally after what he heard, so he figured that it would be a good idea. "Yeah. I think that'd be a good idea. It's about time for his nap, anyway."

Starlight took Dropkick from Smokescreen before she left the room with Jetfire and Jetstorm, both of whom appeared to be happy at the prospect of going to play.

Optimus took a glance around the room at the bots who had remained. "If any of you do not wish to hear this, then I suggest that you leave now."

No one moved.

Optimus then shifted his gaze back to Jazz. "Jazz, please explain your statement."

Jazz nodded. "Okay. The thing is that Prowler's had trouble with Ratchet's death, so he asked me to look into it to see if I could answer some of the questions that he had about that day."

Prowl mentally groaned. When he had asked his mate to do this, he hadn't wanted anybot else to know. He knew that all it would do was drag up a lot of painful memories and open old wounds. He had not wanted to put anybot through that kind of slag, especially Optimus. The mech had raised him as if he was his own, so the tactician had not wanted to hurt Optimus by asking Jazz to do this research.

"So I went to the Hall of Records yesterday and started gathering everything I could about what happened. Once I started going through everything, I started coming up with a lot more questions than answers. There's several things that we weren't told that changed a lot of things." Jazz released a sigh. "And I'm afraid that you're not going to like any of it."

Ironhide growled. "None of us were thrilled with what happened then, either, Jazz."

Jazz raised his hands in surrender. "I know that, Ironhide, but the fact is that there are things that change a lot." Jazz then glanced over at Chromia and Elita. "I'm sorry, you two, but what I'm about to say isn't going to reflect well on the femmes that made up that rescue mission team."

Elita had known all of the femmes that went on that mission, and she knew that they were all good soldiers. The commander in her wanted to refute that statement immediately, but this was about her brother. And Jazz wouldn't have made that statement if he didn't have something to back it up.

"Jazz, please continue." Optimus told him.

Jazz nodded. He walked over to the holographic projector and inserted a chip with all of the information that he wanted to show them on it. "Okay. To start off with, these are two reports about what happened whole on the mission." He brought up two images that were the reports.

Optimus immediately started scanning them.

"So what? It's Shadowstrike's and Windstreak's reports about the mission." Chromia stated. It was standard protocol to do a report on the mission upon completion of the mission.

"That's part of the problem, Chromia." Jazz turned to look at the reports. "These are the only two reports from the mission. Arcee, Firestar, and Metallica did not make a report about what happened while on the mission."

"But it's protocol for all members of the team to make reports, not just the team leaders." Prowl stated matter-of-factly.

"I know, Prowler. That's the first thing that caught my attention. There's no viable reason why those three did not write reports about what happened while they were out on that mission." Jazz stated.

Elita couldn't understand it. She knew the three femmes, and they had always been great soldiers to her unit. Why would they do something outside of protocol when they knew better?

"Then there's the reports themselves." Jazz stated.

"What's wrong with them?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"They're the same." Optimus stated after reading over them a few times.

"Shadowstrike and Windstreak were on the same mission. The reports are going to be the same." Megatron pointed out.

Optimus shook his helm. "No, Megatron. They are exactly the same. They are word for word the same."

"That's not right. Even two bots returning from the same mission would not make reports out word for word." Elita mused.

"No. They wouldn't, which is why it raised a red flag with meh. I've seen enough reports to know that no two are exactly alike." Jazz glanced at them. "Which means one of two things. These reports were written by one of them and passed off as two separate reports, or they rehearsed what to put in the reports."

Optimus started to wonder why these two femmes would choose to do something of that nature. To him, it meant that something had happened to make the mission go wrong that they didn't want to own up to. And it pissed him off to think that they may have allowed Ratchet to die.

"But why do that? What do they have to hide?" Alpha Trion asked.

"That's one of the main questions." Grindor stated, stepping forward. He looked at the reports. "They should have had nothing to hide and yet, their reports suggest otherwise."

The room grew quiet as they all digested this. Only two of the femmes had written reports and those reports were exactly the same. Something wasn't right.

Elita had to sit down beside Chromia in her shock. She couldn't believe that some of the femmes under her command had done something like this. It completely violated protocol, and it was unethical.

Galvatron looked over at the black and white saboteur. "I'm assuming there's more than just this conflict with the reports that we're hearing all this."

Jazz nodded his helm. "The rest is even harder to discuss." He took a deep vent of air before pushing on. "Upon their return to the base, Shadowstrike reported that when they arrived the Quintessons fired and hit Ratchet at point blank range in the chest, killing him instantly."

Those words hurt every mech and femme in the room, including Jazz.

Jazz continued, though, knowing he had to tell them. "Had that been accurate, Optimus would have felt the bond with Ratchet snap the moment it happened, but it was two cycles later that the bond snapped."

"Indicating that Ratchet was still alive." Sunstreaker mused.

"So he survived the attack. What does that prove?" Starscream asked.

"That they lied in their reports and to our faces." Jazz highlighted a portion of the reports. "According to both of the reports, those femmes were close enough that they could see everything and get readings on everything. Presumably they were planning the best course of action to rescue Ratchet when the Quintessons fired at him. If they were that close, then their scanners should have picked up on the fact that Ratchet's spark hadn't extinguished." Jazz stated.

"If their position was compromised, then they would have had no choice but to get out of there." Hot Shot stated.

Everyone knew that the yellow bot was right, even if they didn't like the fact that he was right about that detail.

"'Not in this case, Hot Shot." Jazz replied. He highlighted another portion of the reports. "They specifically stated that their cover was never blown. Considering that fact, they should have known that Ratchet was still alive and tried to get to him and get him back here."

The unspoken "to try to save him" was heard by all.

Now the question became did the femmes purposefully leave a severely injured Ratchet behind? And did their actions result in his spark extinguishing?

"Why didn't we know this back then?" Alpha Trion asked.

"Because we knew Ratchet was still alive and trying to find him was more important." Optimus answered quietly. He was attempting to keep his anger in check. He had been so worried and then so grieved back then that he never once thought to question them on their statements. He had been too concerned with trying to find Ratchet to consider questing the femmes on why they lied, and then he was too grieved by the loss of Ratchet and their sparklings to consider confronting them. He hadn't even thought about that fact until now.

"Several search teams were formed and sent to that area to find him. We all knew that until the bond snapped that Ratchet was still alive." Jazz replied.

"And the search ended when the bond did snap." Skywarp added.

"The fact still remains that they willfully lied about what happened. Shadowstrike stated that Ratchet died on impact. We didn't call her on it then because we knew Ratchet was still alive, and we didn't consider confronting her on it after we knew he was gone." Jazz stated.

Elita rubbed her faceplates. "I never would have thought that they would do this. They lied about everything just to cover their own afts and stay out of trouble." She slammed her fist on the table in her anger.

"A Senate investigation would have taken place. Given the fact that Ratchet was the Prime's mate meant that the Senate would be obliged to investigate and ensure that there was no foul-up by the rescue team." Nemesis stated.

"We're talking about a Senate that hated Ratchet, Nemesis. They would have just written it off as being a part of war and not bothered." Swiftwind stated.

"You would think so, but they did actually do an investigation." Jazz had a look of distaste on his faceplates. "As shoddy and fouled up as it was."

"Meaning?" Thundercracker asked.

Jazz brought up the report on the holo-projector. "The entire investigation should have take a few breem at least, but the entire case was closed in less than a cycle."

Grindor spoke up then. "And I'm not surprised, considering the fact that it was Redwing that was chosen by the Senate to conduct the investigation."

"Redwing." Optimus growled.

Grindor nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"What's the deal with Redwing?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Even before I became a senator, it was well-known that Redwing thought Ratchet unsuited to be the Prime's mate. And Redwing had been one of the biggest advocates for Optimus terminating his relationship with Ratchet and finding a more suitable mate." Grindor stated.

"And they chose him to lead the investigation?" Ironhide growled.

"You must understand that the majority of the Senate hated Ratchet as it was. And not just because they thought he was unworthy of being the Prime's mate. The Senate had attempted to make Ratchet look foolish several times from a political standpoint. Instead, Ratchet was the one who made fools out of them. While he was not a politician, he certainly could have been one. They hated him for that reason." Grindor shook his helm. "Not to mention the fact that the head of the Senate at the time also hated Ratchet. I'm actually surprised that they had a investigation at all."

"To save face." Chromia snarled, hating the fact that the Senate only did things to keep up a good appearance to the general public.

"Indeed. In any case, Redwing was a bad choice for another reason. Shadowstrike is the daughter of Quickstrike, another senator. Redwing and Quickstrike have been political allies for a long time, so Redwing would never do anything to endanger that. I cannot prove this, but Redwing said the rescue team did everything by the book and closed the investigation simply to protect Shadowstrike and in turn protecting his political relationship with Quickstrike." Grindor said.

"Meaning that he may not have even looked at anything. Just said he did to save face and then cleared the rescue team." Bluestreak stated, upset that Redwing would allow his grand-carrier's death to go completely uninvestigated.

"Pretty much." Grindor agreed.

"I know that this doesn't change what happened, but we have a lot of unanswered questions. And if the rescue mission really was botched by the team, then they need to be questioned about it." Jazz stated.

Optimus was silent. He knew that, politically speaking, he could end up with a lot of backlash for opening such an investigation on a matter that had been closed by the Senate. But this was his mate he was talking about, and he needed to get the answers that he needed! And slag it with propriety, he was going to get those answers!

Grindor seemed to just know what Optimus was thinking. "I have already spoken to Jazz about forming a special investigation team to learn just what did happen back then. It is only right that we know what did happen. If the senators attempt to combat you on the issue, you will have my full support."

"Thank you." Optimus was sincere on that. Learning the truth was the most important thing to the Prime at the moment.

"And I believe that Jazz should be the one to lead the investigation." Grindor added.

"Wouldn't that be a conflict of interest?" Nemesis asked.

"Jazz was the one who uncovered these inconsistencies that lead to all of this. Without his work, we may not have uncovered a possible cover-up to a botched rescue mission. And I can handle the Senate. I didn't become the head of the Senate without being able to control what the other members do." Grindor replied.

Optimus could not argue with that. "Very well." He glanced at Jazz. "Do you know who you would like to aid you in this?"

"Truthfully, the most we can do is question those involved back then." Jazz looked over at Elita. "All of them are still in the femme unit of the military, so-"

Elita didn't let him finish. "You have my full permission to question any of them to any extent you view necessary. You don't need permission. Pull them from whatever duty they are performing."

Jazz nodded.

"How big of a team do you need?" Optimus asked.

"Not big. I'd like Soundwave to help me." Jazz stated.

"I would be glad to." Soundwave only spoke in his monotone voce while on duty. Off duty, he spoke as any other mech would. And he would gladly help to learn the truth of what happened.

"I also would like Bumblebee to help. He's new, I admit, but he's unbiased in all of this, and I think we need that. Plus, he's good at what he does, and I think he can help us learn what we need to." Jazz stated. He thought about it a moment before adding, "And Shockwave would be able to help us a great deal as well."

"You can count on me." Shockwave assured them.

"No one else?" Grindor asked.

"No, sir." Jazz replied.

Optimus nodded. "Do what you need to, Jazz. Get those answers."

"I'll do my best." Jazz replied.

* * *

Optimus sat in the sitting room of his quarters, unable to determine just how he felt. He was angry, to be sure. After all, that femme group had violated protocol and may have allowed Ratchet to get killed. It angered him to learn that they would have such disregard for his mate's life.

And then there was Redwing. Optimus would gladly admit that he hated that red Seeker with a passion that surprised even him. The way Redwing had spoken of Ratchet the days before their bonding still struck a nerve. The mech had called Ratchet many things, and it had nearly drove Optimus to kill him. Megatron had been the only mech to stop him from doing that, which was surprising given Megatron's own hatred of the mech.

But to learn that he may have allowed Shadowstrike off just because he was political allies with her sire angered him. Shadowstrike may have been the reason that the Quintessons ended up killing Ratchet, and that just angered him even more.

Optimus sighed as he took a sip of the high grade in his hand. He needed it.

There was a knock at his door.

Optimus immediately sensed who it was. "Come in, Prowl."

A moment later, the black and white doorwinged mech entered the room. "Sire."

Optimus motioned for Prowl to sit down. "Would you like some high grade, Prowl?"

"No. Not right now." Prowl sighed as he sat down. "I'm sorry, Sire. When I asked Jazz to look into what happened to Carrier, I never meant to drag any of this up."

Optimus was surprised at that.

"I mean, I've never been able to accept everything I was told because it just didn't seem to fit. So I asked Jazz to do the research because I knew that if anybot would be able to find the answers he would. I never expected him to find something like this." Prowl continued.

"Prowl." Optimus said gently.

Prowl didn't seem to hear him. "I never thought that Jazz would find out something like this. I never wanted anybot to find and be upset because I was dragging up the past. It was just me and my logic. I had to have the answers to everything."

"Prowl." Optimus tried.

"And I thought I could finally find some semblance of peace if I knew the answers to those questions, but I never thought it would be his. I had no idea there was some kind of cover-up or more to what happened than what we already knew. I-" Prowl continued rambling.

"Prowl!"

Prowl jumped before turning to face Optimus.

Optimus then laughed. "And everybot says that Bluestreak gets his habit of rambling from Jazz. They have obviously never seen you ramble before."

Prowl felt his faceplates heat up in embarrassment. He had never meant for this to happen.

"And I'm glad all this has come out. We've all had questions for too long. I should have looked into it myself, to be honest. I knew of the Senate's feelings about Ratchet, so I should have known that they wouldn't have done a good investigation, if they didn't just write it off as the rescue team getting there too late. Regardless, I would have wanted to know, Prowl. I want to know what happened, so this is a good thing." Optimus smiled. "And I wouldn't have gotten upset with you for wanting to understand what happened to your carrier, Prowl. I do understand."

Prowl nodded before slumping. "I just wish I understood all that happened. This past orn has been so hard, and I just want an answer."

Optimus set his cube aside before he moved over to Prowl and wrapped an arm around the Praxian mech. "I know, Prowl. This orn has been hard on us all."

"I just miss him so much." Prowl whispered, his emotions getting the best of him. He leaned against Optimus, needing the comfort of his sire at the moment.

"I know, Prowl. I do too." Optimus told him gently. There wasn't an astrosecond that went by that the Prime didn't miss Ratchet.

"Do you think Jazz is right? Do you think that team may have done something to mess up the mission and don't want to admit it?" Prowl asked.

"I don't know, Prowl. I don't want to think badly of them, but that is a possibility. We will learn soon enough. We cannot allow any of them to know what we know until Jazz is ready to question them." Optimus stated.

Prowl nodded. He rarely interacted with any of the femmes outside of Chromia, Elita, and Starlight as it was, so there wasn't much of a chance of the Praxian seeing any of them.

Optimus knew that he himself was going to have to keep his temper in check, especially around Redwing. He had hated the mech because of the way he spoke of Ratchet before they bonded. He had developed an even greater hatred of him due to his demanding that Optimus take a new mate not even a full cycle after Ratchet's death and then practically forcing several different femmes at him.

But that hatred had reached a new height with what the Prime had learned that day.

* * *

Jazz had decided that it would be a good idea to meet with Soundwave, Shockwave, and Bumblebee before they began their questioning of the five femmes who had been sent out on the rescue mission. After all, they all needed to be on the same wavelength before they did anything.

The dark blue mech, the purple mech, and the yellow mech had all come to the black and white saboteur's office so that they could discuss what was going on.

Jazz had brought Bumblebee up to speed on the entire situation before the meeting had started.

While Bumblebee had come to be a valuable asset to everyone, he had only actually been a part of the first lieutenant's team for a relatively short time. He hadn't been around when everything happened with Ratchet and other than medical check-ups, the yellow scout hadn't had any real contact with the white and orange mech. It made him more of an unbiased part of the team, which was what Jazz needed at the moment.

"We've all been briefed on the situation with Ratchet's death and the information that has come to light." Jazz stated.

The other three mechs nodded in agreement.

"All of them are still a part of the femme unit in the military. We've been granted permission from Elita-1 to question any of them at any time we see fit. We already know that three of them did not make reports as per protocol and we know that the two reports that were made out are exactly alike, meaning that they were rehearsed before they were written or they were written by the same solider." Jazz stated.

"What reason would they have had to lie, though?" Bumblebee asked.

"That's what we're tasked with finding out, Bumblebee." Jazz glanced over at Soundwave. "Soundwave, you'll be present at every questioning although you'll remain out of sight. I don't want them knowing you are there. Keep your optics on their thoughts and let me know if what they say match what they are thinking."

Soundwave nodded his helm in agreement.

"Shockwave, I want you to look through every single mission that all five of them have gone on, whether they were on the same team or not. See if there are any anomalies with their missions or if there are any signs of something similar happening in other missions." Jazz stated.

"I will find everything out. They won't be able to hide anything from me." Shockwave assured him.

Jazz looked over at Bumblebee. "Bee, I know that you complain about your youth and bubbly personality being a detriment to your job, but in this case, make an exception. I want you to go to Arcee, Metallica, and Firestar an talk to them. Tell them you've been assigned to research an old mission they were on and wanted their viewpoint on what happened. See if you can find anything out in a calmer setting."

Bumblebee nodded. He had worked with Arcee before, so it might be easier for him to talk to her about it.

"Bee, you have to make absolutely certain that they are not suspicious. I don't want Shadowstrike and Windstreak knowing just yet." Jazz stated.

"Yes, sir." Bumblebee replied.

Shockwave addressed Jazz. "Do you believe that Shadowstrike and Windstreak may have done something underhanded to foul up the mission and don't want it known?"

"I don't know right now, Shockwave. I do know that there is something strange going on, and we're going to find answers for Prime." Jazz replied.

The three nodded their helms in understanding.

"Report everything you learn to me and then I'll report it all to Grindor and Prime. Don't tell anyone outside of those in this room what you learn. I don't want anything getting out before the time is right." Jazz told them.

The three knew that he was right and assured the saboteur that they would not allow anyone to know what they were doing.

"Soundwave, I'm going to talk to Elita. We're going to wait three cycles before questioning any of the femmes. Give Bee time to do his research." Jazz stated.

"Very well." Soundwave agreed.

* * *

Out of courtesy, Jazz had decided to let Elita know what they were doing so that she would be prepared in case some of the femmes came to her to let her know that Bumblebee was asking them questions about an orn old mission. The spy found Elita in the rooms she shared with Optimus, so he ended up having to tell Optimus as well.

"Jazz, that's fine, but I'll forewarn you that you need to talk to Arcee first." Elita stated.

"Why?" Jazz asked.

"Arcee has had leave scheduled for a few groon, and I can't resend it without a good reason. Since we don't want anyone knowing about this yet, I can't do that." Elita stated.

"When is she scheduled to leave?" Jazz asked.

"In six cycles." Elita answered.

Jazz nodded his helm. "That'll give us plenty of time to allow Bee to do his preliminary research and then go to the official questioning of them."

"Are you not having Bumblebee approach Shadowstrike and Windstreak?" Optimus asked.

"No. We're working under the assumption that they are the main ones doing the cover-up as they are the only ones who turned in a report. I want them caught completely off guard when I do question them." Jazz replied.

Optimus nodded at the logic in that.

"Just be careful, Jazz. I've had to reprimand Shadowstrike more than once for using her sire's position as a senator in getting her way. I don't doubt she'll try to intimidate you by using that to try to get you stop the questioning." Elita warned him.

Jazz grinned. "And since when do I let others intimidate me? She'd have to use more than Quickstrike's position to intimidate me."

"Just a warning." Elita stated.

Jazz nodded his helm in understanding. "I got ya, but I think I can handle her."

Optimus hoped that Jazz was right. The Prime most certainly didn't want anything going wrong with this investigation. He wanted the answers to what happened to Ratchet.

* * *

Arcee returned to her quarters in the barracks for the femme soldiers after her shift. She went to her personal wash racks and washed off the grime from the cycle before heading back out. She grabbed herself a cube of energon before sitting down to sip at it.

The blue and pink femme's thoughts wandered to her trip back to her small hometown of Creon. She took leave every so often to return for two breem and see her family there. They were a bit of an unconventional family, but they were a family nonetheless.

Arcee was particularly looking forward to see her true mate, Bulkhead. They had not spark bonded yet, but they had known that they were to be sparkmates the first moment they saw each other.

It wasn't uncommon for two bots to see each other for the first time and know immediately that they are to be sparkmates. It was fairly common to have such happen.

The first time Arcee had seen the bulky green construction mech, she had been shocked that she had found her sparkmate.

Bulkhead was rather clumsy although he had a big spark and was actually very gentle and easy going for such a large mech. The green mech was also extremely protective of his family, which included his adoptive carrier and his three siblings.

Arcee smiled as she thought of Bulkhead's three siblings. She loved those sparklings more than anything, and she hated that she wasn't able to see them more often. It couldn't be helped, though. Her job was here, and they lived in the small town of Creon, which was a good distance from Iacon.

The femme had already decided that she would move to Creon when she decided to bond with Bulkhead. While she was already an adult, Bulkhead was still in his first vorn of adolescence, so they would not bond for a while. She could wait, though.

Arcee finished her energon and stood up. She discarded the cube before heading to the berth room. She only had six cycles before she would be able to go and see them again.

Arcee had no way to know that there were many life changing events that were about to head her way. And she was far from prepared for the revelations that would be made to her nor would she be prepared to reveal several truths that she had not expected to ever have to reveal.

* * *

Let me know what you thought.

You'll see more of a reaction from Optimus about what he feels regarding all this in the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Love all the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 4

Despite the fact that his processors were still in turmoil after everything that Jazz had revealed, Optimus returned to his duties the following morning. He knew that there was a great deal that needed to be done, and the Prime also knew that he couldn't stop working just because there was new information regarding Ratchet's death out there now.

After trying to concentrate on a single datapad for nearly a joor, Optimus finally gave it up. He put the datapad to the side as he rubbed between his optics. He was tired and his muddled processors were not helping at all. He had no doubt that he was going to have trouble getting any work done that cycle.

Optimus had not recharged that well the night before as his processors continuously came up with numerous scenarios as to what happened out on that mission. None of them ended well as the Prime already knew how each scenario ended. With his mate's death.

The true question had become what all had led up to the actions that ended Ratchet's life and were the femmes at fault for that by some action that they had taken.

Optimus leaned back in his chair as he thought about how the Senate would react when they learned that a new investigation into Ratchet's death had been opened. He could imagine the types of things that would be said by members of the Senate, Redwing being one of the chief ones that came to Optimus's processors.

A growl escaped the Prime at the thought of the mech in question. The Prime found it very hard to truly hate other bots, but he could honestly say that he hated Redwing with a passion. The mech had no spark. He had bonded for the sake of rising in position in life, socially and politically. He had not bonded for love. Optimus wasn't certain that the mech was even capable of such an emotion.

Redwing had been a thorn in the Prime's side since long before Ratchet's death. The mech seemed to take joy out of making others miserable. He had certainly done a good job of that where Optimus was concerned. Optimus partly wondered if Redwing made his job so difficult was to make sure the Prime would have to work so much that he rarely had a chance to spend any time with Ratchet. Redwing was the type to do something like that.

Of course, there were other Senate members who would do the exact same thing, but Redwing plagued the red and blue Prime's thoughts more than any of the others because of the fact that he had done a sloppy investigation into Ratchet's death, if it could even be called an investigation. He virtually said whatever Shadowstrike stated had happened was the truth and ended it then and there. For political reasons, as most of Redwing's reasons for anything were political.

Optimus leaned back in his chair as he thought about the things that Jazz had told them about. One fact was the fact that Shadowstrike had lied to their faces about Ratchet dying immediately, as it was two cycles later before the bond snapped. They also knew that the second report that had been written by Windstreak was either a rehearsed version of what Shadowstrike wanted to say, or it was written by Shadowstrike herself. Then there was the fact that the other three femmes on the mission had not even written a report, which was against protocol and was something Redwing should have brought up had he done his job right.

This led the Prime to wonder if anything that they knew about the day Ratchet died was true. It made Optimus wonder if perhaps the femmes may have messed up while they were out on that mission and that had resulted in Ratchet's death. If so, it meant that they were trying to cover their own afts.

Then there was another scenario that Optimus's processors had come up with, which was that the Senate had used Ratchet's capture to their advantage and decided to convince the femmes to assassinate Ratchet instead of rescue him. After all, it all could easily be blamed on the Quintessons. Of course, there was nothing to suggest that the Senate had anything to do with Ratchet's death, so it wasn't as plausible.

There was the scenario where the femmes acted on their own accord and killed Ratchet themselves for whatever twisted reasons they could have to kill a sparked mech. If they did so, then all five of those fragging femmes would face the full weight of his title as Prime as well as the full fury of his wrath if they did such a thing!

Optimus clenched his hands into fists involuntarily at the thought that either the femmes or the Senate had had anything to do with Ratchet's death. He had to force himself to calm down before his anger got the best of him, and he ended up destroying something. That had had happened right after Ratchet's death.

Besides, there was nothing to suggest that the femmes or the Senate had done anything to result in Ratchet's death. There was no reason to get angry or assign blame of any type to any of them with no evidence. The Prime needed to save his anger for when they knew what had happened.

Optimus allowed his thoughts to trail to that of the Quintessons themselves. He remembered clearly that, at the end of the war, the Quintessons had claimed that they had played no part in Ratchet's death. At the time, no one had believed them simply because they had been the Transformers enemies, which meant they would not consider anything that the Quintessons said as truth. Now, Optimus wondered if perhaps the Quintessons were telling the truth.

But if they were and the Quintessons had nothing to do with Ratchet's death, then he was left with the inescapable conclusion that it was the femmes who did whatever to Ratchet.

And that was an even worse thought than the Quintessons being the ones who killed Ratchet because it meant that Optimus sent the ones who ultimately killed Ratchet in to rescue him.

* * *

Jazz was sitting at his desk in his office as he thought and looked over all that he had gathered and been informed of about the entire case he was working on. The saboteur felt more than a bit exasperated at everything that he had learned.

Shockwave, as always, did his research quickly and efficiently. He had turned in his report to Jazz and stated that there seemed to be nothing to indicate in any past reports that they had done anything nefarious. The only major points was that Shadowstrike tended to use her sire's position in the Senate to get herself better missions as well as try to get herself out of trouble. Shockwave also noted that Shadowstrike had tried to do that to help Windstreak as well. Windstreak herself was from a wealthy noble family and had often tried to use her high standing to get better missions as well.

As for the other three femmes, there was nothing of major note. Firestar had come from a middle class family while Metallica and Arcee both came from low class families from small towns. All three had worked for the rank and prestige that they held in the military.

Their personal lives showed a bit more of who they were though.

Soundwave had decided to do some research into their personal lives as it might end up shedding a bit more light on the types of femmes they were instead of just relying on their military records.

Shadowstrike and Windstreak were both the typical high class femmes who enjoyed the amenities that came from their families' high class. Both were known for attending high class parties, and they were also known for attempting to work their way into the favor of mechs who would offer them more political and social prestige.

Metallica was the only creation of poor merchants who barely made it. As her creators had died back in an attack by the Quintessons, Metallica mostly remained at whatever post she was stationed at. She tended to volunteer at youth centers to help the younger generation, especially those who came from the lower class families like herself.

Firestar was from a family who were of stable class. They were fairly successful in their business and were well-known in their town. Firestar tended to return to her hometown to see her family. She was also known for spending time ad hanging out with her fellow femmes as well as a mech who was assumed to be the mech she was in a relationship with.

Arcee was from a small town herself and had a tendency to return there for a few breem at a time every three or four groon. She was a femme who tended to stay more to herself and didn't share her personal life with many femmes. She wasn't close to any of the mechs or femmes that she worked with.

Bumblebee's report on his informal interviews with Metallica, Firestar, and Arcee were all very similar. All three femmes were willing to discuss prior missions with Bumblebee. The scout had decided to ask them about two other missions, one before and one after the one with Ratchet, and then discuss the mission about Ratchet to determine if the way they discussed them were different. All three femmes were willing to discuss the other two missions, but they quickly clammed up at the mention of the rescue mission. All of them became tense and vague with their answers. Metallica outright refused to discuss the issue with Bumblebee. Firestar quickly made an excuse to leave. Arcee simply refused to discuss it any further after she ghosted over a few minor details.

It seemed as if there was something to hide. It was the only thing that Jazz could come up with as a reason as to why the femmes had reacted the way they did.

It was time to decide how to do the interviews with them. There was something to find out, and the black and white mech intended to find out what it was they were hiding.

* * *

Wheeljack was in the living room of his home working on a set of schematics for a new invention that he had in his processors. Since he had had decided not to go to his lab that day, he figured that he could at least work on some schematics.

After everything that the inventor had learned the previous day, Wheeljack knew that he wouldn't be able to concentrate on his work, so he hadn't put himself in the position that he would have multiple explosions. His processors would have been on his brother and everything that he had learned.

"Come on, Jetfire! Give it back!"

Wheeljack looked up from his datapad at the sound of Jetstorm's voice.

"No way! I had it first!" Jetfire retorted.

"Did not!"

"Did, too!"

"Did not!"

"Did, too!"

"DID NOT!"

"DID, TOO!"

"Jetfire! Jetstorm! Enough!" Wheeljack stood up and headed to the playroom where he found the two small shuttles sitting and arguing over a toy.

Both looked up sheepishly at their sire.

"If you don't stop fighting and start sharing your things, then you're both going to go into a time out, and neither of you are going to be able to play. Do you understand me?" Wheeljack's voice was stern and firm, unlike his usual tone.

"Yes, Sire." Jetfire and Jetstorm chorused.

"Good. I don't want to hear anymore fighting out of you two." With that, Wheeljack turned and headed back out and to the living room. He had no doubt he would hear fighting again as the two tended to fight all the time.

As he sat down, Wheeljack thought back to how he and Ratchet had been as younglings. He knew that they had had their fair share of fights when they were that age. He could remember his own sire having to give him and Ratchet that same warning.

As they got older, their fights became less frequent as they ended up sharing some similar interests that allowed them to work together.

Ratchet's main field had been in medicine, but the medic had found himself interested in science as well, and since he didn't feel that he was challenged enough by the medical field, he did a double major of medicine and science. He had excelled in both and ended up working with Wheeljack on some projects.

The arguments that their creators did not get involved in were the ones where Ratchet would threaten Wheeljack within an inch of his life after it became a fact that Wheeljack was a menace to science and society. Wheeljack was the only one who knew for quite some time that Ratchet's shouting, threatening, and hitting were his way of conveying just how concerned he had been for Wheeljack.

When Ratchet had become involved with Orion Pax, Wheeljack was the first family member Ratchet told. He had never kept secrets from Wheeljack, so he had told Wheeljack about Orion at the start. Wheeljack was happy for his brother and was even happier when he learned that Orion didn't have a problem with the fact that Ratchet already had two sons.

The reverse had also been true as Wheeljack had told Ratchet first when he became involved with Skyfire. The two shared a close bond and not just because of the spark deep bond they had as spark twins. As they grew older, they had grown closer. They had always been there for each other.

When Wheeljack had found out that Ratchet was sparked not long after he had found out how own mate was sparked, he had been happy for his brother. He knew that Optimus had been a great sire to Prowl and Smokescreen even though they were not biologically his, so the inventor knew that he would be a good sire to his own.

The loss of Ratchet and the loss of the bond that they had shared had about destroyed Wheeljack. He had truly needed his mate at that time because Wheeljack was rather certain that he wouldn't have survived his brother's death otherwise.

Now, when Wheeljack looked at his own younglings, he couldn't help but wonder what the sparklings that Ratchet had been carrying would have been like now. They would only have been a few groon younger than Jetfire and Jetstorm, so the inventor often found himself wondering just what they would have been like. He wondered what they would have looked like, what their personalities would have been like, and what they would have ended up doing in their lives.

All they had now were those what-if questions. They would never actually know what the sparklings would have been like now.

Wheeljack found himself angry that those femmes may have done something that might have ended up getting Ratchet killed. He wished he knew what had happened out there so that he could make more sense out of his brother's death. He swore that he would find a way to make them pay if those femmes had done anything that resulted in Ratchet's death.

Wheeljack glanced over at a picture that he kept out that was of himself, Ratchet, and Elita. It was before Ratchet and Wheeljack had ended up going to the Medical-Science Academy in Iacon. While Wheeljack missed Ratchet a great deal, he still wanted to keep that picture out as it was a reminder of who they had once been.

Wheeljack knew that he would always miss Ratchet, and he knew that he would always wonder how things would have turned out had Ratchet still been alive.

But at this moment, what Wheeljack really wanted was answers as to what happened to his brother that day. He was very angry that so much had been hidden from them. And he hated the Senate even more for doing such a sloppy investigation and for having a mech that was known to have a fine hated Ratchet do the investigation. But that was how they worked. Wheeljack just hoped that when the truth was learned that Optimus would make anyone who had anything to do with hiding what had really happened or had anything to do with what happened pay dearly.

And Wheeljack was rather certain that Optimus would do that as Ratchet had been the most important aspect of the Prime's life for a long time, even after becoming Prime.

* * *

Optimus had had a meeting with Megatron that afternoon to discuss several things that they were going to have to bring before the Senate very soon. The Prime had been thankful that he had managed to focus his processors on the issue that lay before him instead of on the investigation that Jazz was currently conducting.

"Well, at least we've got this done." Megatron muttered. He stood up and headed over to the cabinet that Optimus kept his high grade in.

"This early, Megatron?" Optimus asked.

Megatron turned to glance at him. "Come on, Orion. We both know that everything we're going to propose to the Senate are things that they are going oppose and fight us on. Let's face it. The Senate only cares about themselves or the high class bots who are the ones that keep them in power. The Senate could care less about the low class or even the middle class."

Optimus sighed. "Yes. I know."

"We're trying to get better and more affordable healthcare for those in the lower class as well as helping them to have better homes to live in. And that's just two things that we're proposing. We both know that Senate is going to fight hard to stop this." Megatron stated as he poured himself a cube of Vosian high grade.

Optimus shook his helm. "I know, Megatronus. I know how the Senate thinks and works. The fact that Grindor agrees with us and works with us can only go so far." Optimus looked down at the work they had done in the last few joor. "Could you-" He didn't even get the sentence out before a cube of the Vosian high grade was thrust into his line of vision. He took it from his brother.

"Guess you need this more than I do." Megatron stated as he took a sip of his own high grade, knowing from experience that gulping down Vosian high grade was hard on the intakes.

"Why? We've been doing the same thing." Optimus stated as he sipped at his high grade.

Megatron watched his brother for a moment before answering. "You know exactly what I mean, Orion. I'm not stupid. I can tell that you haven't gotten much done except for what we've done together. You can't focus."

Optimus sighed. "Am I than transparent?"

"No. Your desk is more cluttered than it normally is when I come in here. And I know you too well." Megatron continued drinking his high grade. "What we learned yesterday has you more troubled than you want to admit, doesn't it?"

Optimus sighed before he rubbed between his optics. "Yes, it does. You would not believe the scenarios as to what might have happened just from what little we know that I have come up with. I've gone from the femmes doing something by accident and don't want to admit it to the Senate having something to do with it and purposefully getting Ratchet killed." He shook his helm. "I hope to get the answers soon so that I can stop considering all of the possibilities."

Megatron downed the rest of his high grade.

"I've even wondered if the Quintessons were telling e truth when they said they had nothing to do with Ratchet's death." Optimus stated quietly.

Megatron had been reaching for the container of high grade to pour himself another cube, but froze at that statement. He turned the entirety of his focus to his brother, all thoughts of pouring himself high grade having vanished from his processors. "You what?"

Optimus looked up and met his brother's red optics. "Think about it. The Quintessons claimed at the end of the war that they had nothing to do with Ratchet's death. At the time, we had no reason to believe them. Now, it just makes me wonder if they were telling the truth."

Megatron had not even considered that. He realized that his brother was right, but if the Quintessons really were innocent of killing Ratchet, then they were left with the inevitable conclusion that the femmes know what really happened or were involved in what really happened, the latter being the most likely situation.

"And if the femmes were the ones who ended Ratchet's life, then it's my fault." Optimus muttered.

Megatron was startled by that. "What in the name of Primus are you talking about, Orion? You didn't want Ratchet to die, so there is no reason for you to blame yourself."

"I'm the one who approved the rescue team. I'm the one backed down and didn't let Jazz, a mech I know would have made sure they brought Ratchet back, go on the mission. I approved the plan. If any reason other than the Quintessons turns out to be the reason Ratchet is gone, then it is my fault." Optimus told him.

Megatron couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew that there was no way, even if the femmes had killed Ratchet themselves, that it was Optimus's fault. He had absolutely nothing to do with what happened.

Then again, Megatron supposed that it shouldn't be a surprise that Optimus was blaming himself for Ratchet's death. He knew his brother was very self-sacrificing, and he also knew that his brother usually placed the blame on his own shoulders when something went wrong.

"You are not at fault, Orion. There is nothing that you could have done differently." Megatron told him.

"I could have chosen a more experienced team, Megatronus. I could have gone with my own instincts instead of listening to what others were saying I should have done." Optimus then slammed his hand down on the desk with so much force that it rattled everything that was sitting on the desk and knocked a few items off. "I could have done more, slag it!"

Outbursts of anger weren't uncommon as Megatron had dealt with them before, but outbursts of anger coming from his younger brother were very rare. He rarely saw Optimus react in such anger except for extreme cases with the Senate or after the initial news that Ratchet had died. He had not seen it in a while.

Seeing the emotional end his brother as at, Megatron set his empty cube down before he walked over to his brother and grabbed Optimus by his arms before hauling him up out of the chair.

Optimus was shocked at being handled in such a violent way so quickly. "Megatronus! What in the name of Primus are you doing!"

"Enough of this! I don't want you blaming yourself for what happened!" Megatron snapped.

"Mega-" Optimus started.

"No!" Megatron snarled. "You did everything you possibly could do save for going on that rescue mission yourself! You are not at fault for whatever happened out there! **YOU **are not to blame for Ratchet's death!" Megatron's voice was firm and held a tone that wasn't to be argued with.

Optimus opened his mouth to protest.

"And Ratchet wouldn't want you to blame yourself, either. You did all that you could." Megatron told him.

Optimus slumped, unable to fight this brother anymore. It was a good thing that Megatron was so strong since it made it easy for him to hold up Optimus's weight. "I just miss him so much, Megatronus." His voice was weak and held static from the emotion that he felt.

Megatron wrapped his arms around his brother and held Optimus. "I know you do, Orion."

Optimus buried his face into his brother's neck as he allowed himself to start crying at the pain he had kept bottled up since the day before.

* * *

Arcee had been ecstatic that morning because she would be heading to Creon the next morning. She couldn't wait to get there and see her family. It had been too long since she had last seen Bulkhead, and she was looking forward to seeing the three younglings as well.

It had been a great surprise to Arcee when she received a request from Elita-1 to come to her office. Arcee always did what she was supposed to and did everything that she could to stay out of trouble. She was rarely called to the commander's office, and it was normally in reference to a mission that Arcee was supposed to go on.

As far as Arcee was aware, there were no missions being planned, so the pink and blue femme wasn't sure what this could be about. She walked toward her commander's office, wondering what was going on that the commander needed her for.

Once at Elita's office, Arcee waited to be granted permission to enter. Once the door opened, Arcee stepped into the femme commander's office.

To say Arcee was surprised to see Jazz, head of special ops and third in command to the Prime, would be an understatement. She would have never expected to see the black and white saboteur in her commander's office. She certainly wouldn't have thought that she would be called to Elita-1's office while the black and white spy was there. "You needed to see me, Commander?" Arcee was standing at attention.

"Yes, Arcee." Elita motioned to the mech standing by her. "Lieutenant Jazz is conducting an investigation, and there are some questions that he needs to ask you."

"Of course, Commander." Arcee answered.

"Arcee, remember that Jazz is a commanding officer, so any orders you have been given regarding anything he may ask you about are not relevant. His authority supersedes any others in this case." Elita told her.

Arcee wasn't sure why her commander was telling her this. She was well-aware of the fact that Jazz was a commanding officer, and she knew that there were only a few who would succeed the mech in authority. "Of course, Commander."

"Come with me, Arcee." Jazz told her.

Arcee did as she was told and followed the saboteur out of the office. She followed Jazz toward the building that served as the headquarters for special ops on the base. She was rather surprised to find herself being led to one of the interrogation rooms.

"Please have a seat, Arcee. I need to go get something from my office. I will return momentarily." Jazz told her.

"Yes, Lieutenant." Arcee went and sat down in one of the two chairs at the table.

Jazz turned and left the room.

Arcee wasn't sure what kind of investigation Jazz was conducting. She hadn't heard anybot talking about any kind of investigation, and she was rather certain that she would have heard about it if it had been broadcasted across the base. It meant that it was a quiet investigation. Arcee still couldn't figure out what this investigation had to do with her. She supposed she would find out soon enough.

Unknown to Arcee, Soundwave was in the shadows of the interrogation room, watching her and monitoring her thoughts. He was using a cloaking device so that the femme would not be aware of his presence unless Jazz indicated that he was to reveal himself, if he was to reveal himself.

Soon, Jazz returned with several datapads in his hand. He sat down across from Arcee and spread the datapads out in front of her. "You were a part of the five-bot team that was sent out to rescue the Prime's consort, Ratchet, when he had been captured by the Quintessons, correct?"

Arcee immediately became tense at the mention of that particular mission. It was a mission that she tried not to think about often. "Yes, sir."

"Protocol dictates that all members of a mission team, regardless of what the mission was, are to make a report that is to be sent to the commander of your unit, which would also be sent to the Prime. You are aware of this, are you not?" Jazz asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Explain to me why there are only two reports made from that mission." Jazz stated.

Arcee was hesitant. She remembered the aftermath of that mission well, and she was uncertain of what to say. She decided on the truth. "After the mission, Shadowstrike ordered Firestar, Metallica, and myself not to write any reports. She said that she would handle the report and that she was going to report directly to Prime about what happened on the mission."

"You know that protocol dictates you are supposed to write a report." Jazz stated.

"I am aware of that, sir. Shadowstrike is my superior, though, and I could not have done so without violating a direct order." Arcee vented air. "I was slagged either way."

Jazz could understand that. "You wouldn't have gotten in trouble for it, Arcee. You were following protocol."

"I understand that, sir." Arcee knew it had been wrong, but at the time, her processors had been far too confused to really focus. She hadn't been sure what to think or do, so she had just done what she was told.

"Arcee, I want you to tell me what happened while out on that mission." Jazz told her.

Arcee was startled. She had been sure that Shadowstrike would have dealt with it all. The pink and blue femme certainly hadn't expected for questions regarding this mission. "I thought Shadowstrike would have explained it."

"She did, but I want to hear what you have to say about it." Jazz replied as he leaned back in his chair, observing her. He had noticed how tense she had become at the subject at hand. Her posture was completely rigid, and she was uncomfortable. She was also trying to get out of saying that happened. "Arcee, I am your superior, and I am also Shadowstrike's superior. We already know that Shadowstrike lied in her report as did Windstreak. There are things that don't add up. We are talking about our Prime's mate." Jazz set his chair back down and placed his hands on the table. "Don't you think that the Prime deserves to know what happened on that cycle considering that we are talking about his mate?"

Arcee was quiet. She had wanted to tell the truth for so long, and now she was being given the chance to. It was time to tell the truth. No matter what. "We arrived in Quintesson territory, and we were forced to move slower as we were trying to avoid the Quintessons."

Jazz leaned back again and listened as Arcee told her story.

"When we got close to the structure that they were using as their prison, we found that Consort Ratchet was outside of the structure with several Quintesson guards around them." Arcee stated.

Jazz was more than a bit startled to hear that. "What kind of condition did Ratchet appear to be in?"

"He seemed to be relatively unharmed. There were some dents and scratches into his armor, but no deep, life threatening injuries that we could see." Arcee answered.

Jazz nodded. "Continue."

Arcee vented air before continuing. "We were analyzing the best course of action to take that would allow us to rescue Consort Ratchet without harming him. There were only three guards with Consort Ratchet, so it looked as if it would be easy enough to take them out and get him out of there."

Jazz knew from that statement and the end result that it turned out to not be so easy. He waited and allowed Arcee to continue at her own pace.

"Shadowstrike took out her sniper rifle and took aim. I assumed that Shadowstrike was planning to take out one of the Quintesson guards, so Firestar and Metallica readied themselves to take out the other two guards." Arcee paused a moment as she remembered exactly what had happened. It had been something that had horrified, shocked, and angered her more than anything could have.

:_Soundwave, what's going on?_: Jazz asked.

:_Soldier: remembering. Shadowstrike's report: lie._: Soundwave replied.

Jazz had already thought as much, but had decided to listen to what Arcee said. He wasn't sure what to make of what Soundwave said, but focused back on Arcee.

"When Shadowstrike fired, she hit Consort Ratchet directly in his chest." Arcee stated.

Jazz froze as his processors grasped just what Arcee had said. "Shadowstrike was the one who ultimately killed Ratchet?"

"Yes, sir." Arcee answered.

Jazz suddenly slammed his hands down on the table as he stood up so fast that he knocked his chair over. "Why in the Pit did you not report this back then!" He was beyond angry to learn that the femmes who had gone on that mission had covered for what Shadowstrike had done.

Arcee cringed, but explained. "After that, Metallica, Firestar, and I wanted an explanation. At first, Shadowstrike wasn't going to give us one, but we weren't going to leave without knowing the truth. Shadowstrike told us that she had received a change in orders directly from the Prime himself that Consort Ratchet was a traitor and that he was to be killed on sight."

Jazz fought to keep his boiling rage from exploding. He knew Optimus very well, both personally and professionally, and he knew that there was no way he would have ever given such an order. "There was no change in orders, Arcee. Your orders were to rescue Ratchet, not kill him. What Shadowstrike did she did of her own free will."

Arcee froze. Oh, Primus, no! "She lied to us?"

"Of course she did! What made you think that Shadowstrike was telling the truth?" Jazz demanded, clenching his hands into fists.

Arcee covered her face with one hand. "Shadowstrike was known for using he sire's position to get better missions. I know that. So did the rest of the team. But we always thought that she was loyal. We didn't-I didn't think she would actually do something like this. Not by her own will." Arcee shook her helm.

Jazz pushed his anger down, knowing that he needed to get all of the information that he could. "Was Ratchet killed immediately by the blast?"

"No, sir. He was still alive. Shadowstrike ordered us to leave. She said that the Quintessons would never try to help Ratchet, and she also said that the injuries would eventually kill him. We thought-we thought she was being honest with us." Arcee couldn't believe that they had been so easily duped by Shadowstrike. Everything would be fine if they had actually questioned Shadowstrike on her actions or told somebot what had really happened out there.

Jazz continued to fight his anger. He wanted nothing more than to hunt Shadowstrike down and make her pay for what she had done. She had killed not only Ratchet, but the two sparklings that he had been carrying as well. He had killed his mate's carrier and his mate's siblings. There was no excuse for what Shadowstrike had done.

But Jazz had a job to do, and he was going to have to complete it without allowing his emotions to get the best of him. No matter how much he just wanted to just let Shadowstrike have it.

"Arcee, you are not to speak to any of the other four femmes that were a part of that team for any reason. If you do, you will face severe reprimand for such actions. Do I make myself clear?" Jazz asked.

"Yes, Lieutenant. I was scheduled to go on leave for the next few breem starting tomorrow. I always go home to my hometown of Creon. I wouldn't see any of them there." Arcee replied.

Jazz nodded. "If you do come across one of them, do not say a word about what we've discussed."

"Yes, sir, Lieutenant." Arcee responded.

Jazz now had the unpleasant task of informing Optimus, Megatron, Elita, and Grindor about what he had just uncovered. That would not be a fun meeting on any level.

* * *

"WHAT!"

The angered, enraged shout came not from Megatron, not from Elita, and not even from Optimus himself. The angered shout came from Grindor.

Jazz was a bit shocked at that, but the expression on Megatron's and Elita's faces were more than enough to scare him more than Grindor's shout. He prayed to Primus that they would remember that he was only the messenger.

"Are you certain of this, Jazz?" Optimus's voice was strained, and anyone near him could tell that this news had taken a quick toll on the already emotionally vulnerable Prime.

"I'm only reportin' what Arcee told meh. From what Soundwave said, she was tellin' the truth, Prime." Jazz answered.

"I can't believe this. One of my own femmes betrayed us!" Elita was beyond angry that this had happened. It didn't seem like it should be possible to have happened, yet it did.

"And we were not informed of this back then why?" Megatron demanded.

"Apparently Shadowstrike had convinced them that she had been issued a change of orders from Optimus that they were to kill Ratchet, not save him." At the look Optimus gave him, Jazz quickly continued. "Of course, we know that's not true, but it's what Shadowstrike said."

"So why do they think that we went to so much effort to find him?" Megatron growled.

"Don't know. I honestly didn't ask, but my guess would be they thought we were covering up what happened. Save face to the rest of the Transformers." Jazz answered.

"Okay, so where do we go from here?" Grindor asked.

"Well, I need to speak with the other four. Soundwave, Shockwave, Bumblebee, and I are leaving tonight to head to the other two bases that Firestar and Metallica are stationed at to talk to them. We should be back within a few cycles. I'll confront Windstreak and then Shadowstrike once we're back." Jazz replied.

The logic was clear in that as Windstreak was one of the two who had written a report, which meant she knew more than the others did.

Jazz looked at Elita. "I need you to make sure that Shadowstrike and Windstreak don't learn of anything. I want them both taken off guard."

Elita nodded.

"How will you confront them?" Grindor asked.

"It's going to depend on what Firestar and Metallica say. If their version of what happened matches Arcee's, then I'm confronting them with what happened. All else fails, Elita can order a processor check on them all as they are all femmes. They couldn't lie then." Jazz answered.

"That needs to be a last resort." Optimus stated.

"It will be. I just need to make sure that they don't talk about it with anyone else." Jazz stated.

"They won't." Elita assured him.

Jazz nodded. "Arcee mentioned going on leave. I think the best thing to do is let her go. I warned her not to talk to anyone about this."

Elita nodded her helm in understanding.

Optimus glanced over at the Senate leader. "Grindor, does anyone in the Senate know that this investigation is being conducted?"

"No. I see no reason to inform them until Jazz concludes the investigation." Grindor frowned. "I will admit that Redwing and Quickstrike would immediately inform Shadowstrike of the investigation. It would defeat the purpose of Jazz's investigation."

Optimus nodded before looking at Jazz. "Go on, Jazz. Do not use a comm channel to relay any information that you find. I don't want anyone finding out about this before I'm ready for them to."

"Understood. I'll tell Shockwave, Soundwave, and Bumblebee to have no communication with anyone until we return." Jazz stated.

Optimus nodded in agreement.

* * *

Elita sat at her desk. She was a bundle of anger after everything that she had learned about the day Ratchet died. She had not expected to hear Arcee accuse Shadowstrike of murdering Ratchet and claiming they had been ordered to do so. It was enough to make the femme commander want to kill Shadowstrike herself!

Elita had been devastated when she first learned of Ratchet's death. She had loved her brother very much and had been happy for Ratchet when he found Orion Pax and had found a mech he could love and trust his spark with. She could remember the time when Ratchet stated he would never bond, but Orion had changed that. He made Ratchet happy, and that had been enough for Elita.

When Orion had first been named the new Prime and became Optimus Prime, she had been worried because of the way the Senate was acting. She had feared that Optimus, being new to politics and the youngest Prime in history, would back down and let the Senate do what they wanted. She had been surprised and pleased that Optimus hadn't back down.

Learning that Ratchet was sparked again had been an incredible feeling. She knew Optimus had been a great sire to Prowl and Smokescreen, even though the two mechs had not been his own. She knew he would have been a good sire for them as well. Ratchet and Skyfire being sparked at the same time had been shocking, but a happy event as well.

Ratchet's death had been devastating because they lost all three of them. It had devastated Optimus the most. No bot would argue that fact. It had devastated Starlight as well. Elita could remember how pained her carrier had been and still was after losing Ratchet and the two sparklings. It had devastated their entire family.

Elita had been shocked and angry when the Senate immediately began demanding that Optimus find a new consort immediately. It had been plain wrong of them to demand he find someone new a mere few joor after losing Ratchet. She had stepped up to stop the Senate from taking advantage of Optimus in such a way, and she would never regret making that decision.

Knowing now that Shadowstrike seemed to have been the one who ended Ratchet's life only served to enrage Elita further. She had worked with the femme for quite a few orn, and while Shadowstrike could be a pain in her aft with the way she flaunted her sire's position in the Senate, she had to admit that Shadowstrike was a good soldier. She had thought the femme was loyal to them all. To learn that Shadowstrike had done this meant that the femme was not loyal and had done what she did out of her own black spark, and it pissed Elita off.

If it turned out that Shadowstrike had truly done what Arcee had accused her of, then Elita would make sure that the femme paid for what she had done. Even if Elita had to do it with her own hands.

There was a knock at the door, startling Elita and knocking her out of her thoughts. Elite composed herself before bidding the bot to enter.

Arcee entered the room and saluted. "Commander."

"Arcee, what can I do for you?" Elita asked.

"Commander, I was scheduled to go on leave. Considering the events of this afternoon, I merely wished to make sure I was still permitted to leave." Arcee explained.

Elita was glad to see that Arcee had come for confirmation as it only served to reinforce Elita's idea that Arcee was loyal. Of course, she had thought that of Shadowstrike. "Your leave is not being rescinded, Arcee. You can have your leave. Just remember to not speak of what you discussed with Lieutenant Jazz to anyone, especially the other members of that team."

"Of course, Commander. I do not believe that I will be coming into contact with Firestar and Metallica. We rarely see each other being on different bases. And I won't see Shadowstrike or Windstreak before I leave." Arcee replied.

"Very well, Arcee. Just make sure you are back on time. You may need to speak with Lieutenant Jazz once more after you return and he finishes his investigation." Elita told her.

"I understand, Commander." Arcee hesitated a moment before asking a question that had plagued her since the interview with Jazz. "Commander, there were no change of orders back then, was there?"

Elita watched Arcee a moment before answering. "No, Arcee. You're orders were the same. Ratchet was to be rescued, not—assassinated." She could barely say the words.

"I understand, Commander. I'm truly sorry for what happened in the end." Arcee saluted her commander before she turned and left.

Elita hoped that Arcee did turn out to be innocent in all this like she thought the femme was. Arcee was a good soldier, and Elita had never had a problem out of Arcee in the past. Not telling what happened was an order from a superior officer. One that had betrayed Elita's trust.

* * *

Optimus sat quietly in a chair in his berth room with a cube of high grade energon in his hand. He sat looking out over the capital city of Iacon while he sipped at the energon. While his optics were gazing at the city, he really wasn't seeing what was in front of him. His processors were elsewhere.

Jazz's report on his interview with Arcee had been shocking to say the least. Of all the things the Prime had considered, that had been on the list, but he hadn't truly thought that any of the femmes would do it in such a cold-sparked way. And he certainly wouldn't have thought that they would have made it look like **HE **was the one who had ordered it.

Optimus loved Ratchet, slag it! He wanted his mate back, safe, not dead!

Optimus's hand tightened on the cube in his hand. He was angry. He was hurt. He was grieved. He felt so many things at once that it was becoming overwhelming.

If it hadn't been for Shadowstrike's selfish, cruel actions, then Ratchet would still be alive. Ratchet would still be there with them. Their son and daughter would have been alive. They would have been almost an orn in age. They could have been the family that Optimus had dreamed about.

Instead, all of that had been taken from him because of Shadowstrike. Deep in his spark, Optimus feared that Arcee had been telling the truth. He feared that Shadowstrike had been the one to murder his mate. And it angered him.

Optimus had spent all this time in grief over Ratchet believing that he had been killed by the Quintessons. Now, he found out that Ratchet would have still been with him.

Optimus couldn't help that pained cry that escaped him as he threw the cube of energon at the wall, shattering cube instantly. He hunched over, ignorant to the shattered pieces of glass, as he buried his face in his hands and started sobbing, the pain overwhelming him. He shouldn't have lost Ratchet. He shouldn't have lost his sparklings. He should have still had them.

But he didn't, and it hurt even more now.

Gentle arms wrapped around the Prime from behind and held him in a comforting manner.

Elita had known some type of emotional breakdown was coming from Optimus as she knew that he would have been angry and hurting over what the truth was. She had heard it and knew that he needed someone to be close to him at the moment. She held Optimus and offered what little comfort she could given the situation. She rested her chin on his shoulder and felt his entire frame shake from the force of the sobs. "I know, Optimus. I know."

"I shouldn't have lost them. They should have still been here." Optimus whispered.

"I know, Optimus. I wish that we could change things, but we can't. All we can do is make Shadowstrike pay for what she has done." Elita told him.

Justice for the wrong that was committed was all they had at the moment. It was all that any of them could hope for at the moment. And it would be a long fight for that given who Shadowstrike's sire was.

At the moment, all Elita could do was hold Optimus and offer what little comfort she could to the grieving Prime.

* * *

Let me know what you thought!


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for the support!

**This story is the one that's been comsuming my thoughts when I go to write lately, so this is the one that I've been working on a lot. I'm trying to work on the others, too.**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

**THERE'S A STICKY SCENE WITH ARCEE AND BULKHEAD IN THE SECTION WHERE THEY FIRST MEET UP. IF YOU DON'T LIKE STICKY, DON'T READ THIS PART!**

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 5

After spending three cycles going to the two bases that Metallica and Firestar were stationed at, Jazz was heading back to Iacon with Shockwave, Soundwave, and Bumblebee in tow. The three had completed their interviews with the two femmes, and Jazz had found that the interviews were very similar to that of Arcee's.

Both Firestar and Metallica had been fine talking with the black and white saboteur up until he mentioned the mission that they were talking about. Both femmes immediately clammed up and didn't want to talk about the mission at all. When Jazz pointed out he was a superior officer and that his orders superseded Shadowstrike's, the two femmes had broken down and told Jazz the entire truth. They had ended up telling the same story as Arcee. While they described it in different ways, they essentially said the same thing. That Shadowstrike had killed Ratchet and that she told the other femmes that their orders had been changed by order of the Prime. The only thing they both said that Arcee hadn't was that Windstreak backed up Shadowstrike's claim and had started she had received the change in orders as well.

That meant that Windstreak was in on Shadowstrike's plan, meaning Windstreak would be just as guilty of everything as Shadowstrike, even if she hadn't taken any of the actions herself.

Jazz was angry and disgusted that Shadowstrike and Windstreak had so callously taken Ratchet's life knowing full well that Ratchet was sparked. He didn't know what had motivated them to take such actions, but the spy knew that they were going to end up regretting it when Optimus got his hands on them. Jazz knew that not even their sires, as politically powerful as were, would be able to get them out of this one.

:_How will we approach this upon our return, Lieutenant? Are we to go ahead with the interrogation of Windstreak and then Shadowstrike?_: Shockwave inquired over a comm between the four.

:_No. Our first step will be to report directly to Prime and give him our report on what we have learned. We're also going to take three joor to rest and recover from our off-base mission and then we will begin our interrogation of Windstreak._: Jazz answered. He knew they'd need a little time to rest and recuperate from their travels before they attempted to interrogate the remaining two.

:_Suggestion._: Soundwave stated.

:_What's that, Soundwave?_: Jazz asked.

:_Windstreak may attempt to forewarn Shadowstrike if she is released before Shadowstrike's interrogation. Suggestion: have Shadowstrike in interrogation room before Windstreak is through with her interrogation._: Soundwave explained.

:_Good idea, Soundwave. No need in giving Windstreak the chance to have Shadowstrike prepare herself. Once we have Windstreak in interrogation, we'll have Elita keep tabs on her. I'll give you a comm, Shockwave, and that's your signal to get Shadowstrike to a separate interrogation room. I'll follow you shortly._: Jazz replied.

:_What about me?_: Bumblebee asked.

:_Once Windstreak's interrogation is over, make sure she doesn't try to contact Arcee, Metallica, or Firestar. She'll be warned not to, but I think she might. If she does, record it and inform Elita of the matter. She'll handle Windstreak from there._: Jazz told him.

All of them understood, although none of them liked the situation that they were in.

* * *

One of the few things that Arcee hated about going back to Creon was the fact that it took her two cycles to get there. It was a long way to Creon from Iacon, and she had run into some bad acid rain, which had put her behind an entire cycle.

Arcee traveled along the uneven road that would lead her into Creon. She was tired and had a feeling that the first thing she was going to want to do upon getting to Creon was get into the wash racks and get the grime from her long travel off of her frame before she ended up collapsing onto a berth and getting some recharge. She'd have to try to get some energon into her systems before she went into recharge, too.

As she drove, Arcee's thoughts trailed back to her interrogation back at Iacon. She now realized that Bumblebee had been asking about that mission not as a part of research but as part of an investigation in that mission. She should have known that something was up, but she didn't realize it until now. She had to admit that the lieutenant had been a lot nicer to her than she deserved. Had Arcee followed her instincts and done what she originally wanted to do, a lot of pain and suffering could have been avoided for her Prime and her commander.

Now, even if Arcee were to come clean with everything else, it wouldn't change everything that they had been through. They had all spent an orn in utter grief over Ratchet's loss believing a lot of things that were lies. Arcee's initial instinct upon returning to the base had been to go to her commander to tell her the truth about what had happened to Ratchet, but something had held her back. She had believed her fellow femme when she said that they had orders to do so. And the fact that the Prime seemed to have moved on so quickly to Elita had seemed to solidify that. Only when she realized that Elita had done so to get the Senate to leave the Prime alone did Arcee start to question things, but she had never questioned them to the point that she actually went and did something about it. She would always regret that now.

The femme had a chance to right some of the wrongs that had committed, and she would start soon. She just hoped that everyone would be able to forgive her for what she did. She thought that she was doing the right things at the time.

Soon, Creon, with its tall buildings, came into view. While not as awe-inspiring as the Crystal City or as Iacon was, the city still had its own beauty. Arcee believed that the only crystal gardens that could outmatch those of Creon were those of Praxus. She would admit that Iacon's were beautiful, but the ones in Creon were stunning. The town of Creon was not lavish or anything, but it was a friendly little town. Perhaps the reason was because it was so small and not well-known.

Once Arcee was at the town's limits, she transformed into her bipedal mode and started to walk into the town. The femme felt so free and was happier when she was here. Perhaps that was because this was her town. Perhaps it was because her family was here.

But Arcee figured that it's most attractive feature was in the fact that a certain green construction mech was in this town.

"Arcee!"

The blue and pink femme turned to find a light green femme running up to her with a smile on her face. Arcee smiled back as she stopped and turned toward the femme. "Moonracer, it's good to see you again."

Moonracer, ignorant of the fact that Arcee was filthy, threw her arms around the femme. "Oh, it's so good to see you again! You don't get to come back here often enough! You won't believe all the things that you have missed since you were last here!" Moonracer pulled back, but kept her hands on Arcee's shoulders. "We are going to have to sit down and have a long talk! There is so much I have to tell you! And those little ones! They're just too cute! They get bigger every cycle, I swear!"

Arcee was used to Moonracer and her rambling. She gently placed her hands on top of Moonracer's. "I'll try to make time for us to sit down and chat, 'Racer. Right now, I think I need a visit to the wash racks."

Moonracer laughed. "Might want to wait until after Bulkhead's done with you. Primus knows that it's been too long since the last time he's seen you." She smirked. "You'll probably be limping the next time I see you."

Arcee felt her faceplates heat at the remark of what she and Bulkhead would probably end up doing. She knew that it was true, but it didn't mean she wanted to be teased about it. "Yes, well, I suppose you're right. In any case, I will catch up with you later, 'Racer."

"All right. Say hi to Bulkhead and the good doctor for me." Moonracer then headed off.

Arcee continued on her way to one of the residential areas in the town as there were a few of them. She came to a modest home that was a well-built structure. It was plain white in color and held two floors. The femme used the access code that she knew by spark and entered the home.

The living room was littered with toys, meaning that Bulkhead hadn't bothered to clean them up after his siblings had gone home to their carrier. She also noticed that there was a fine layer of dust all over the place, which meant that Bulkhead hadn't bothered to clean the house since the last time she was here. It was usual for the green mech.

Arcee released a sigh. She supposed that she had better get cleaning. No need in the house remaining dirty. She started to pick up all of the toys before returning them to their proper place before she started cleaning the rest of the house.

* * *

The moment that Jazz and his team had returned to Iacon, they reported back to the Prime's palace and went straight to Optimus's office.

Megatron, Elita, and Grindor were all in Optimus's office when the three arrived.

It wasn't a great surprise to Jazz had he had already informed the Prime of their approximate arrival time, so it shouldn't be that surprising that the Prime had called all three to his office before they arrived.

Once the three mechs were in the office, the door was shut and locked behind them before Optimus activated the soundproofing so that they were not heard.

"What did you find out?" Optimus asked.

"Well, things started about the way they did with Arcee. Neither of them wanted to talk at first. They wanted to avoid talking about it by making statements about how they thought that Shadowstrike had handled all this. It took pointing out I was a superior officer to even Shadowstrike to get them to start talking. When they did, they told the same thing that Arcee did. Shadowstrike killed Ratchet and told them that she was under orders to do so. The only thing different was that they both told me that Windstreak had supported Shadowstrike when she said that there had been a change in orders and stated she had received the change in orders command as well." Jazz answered.

Megatron growled. "And why did Arcee not tell us that?"

"No telling, Megatron. I'll confront her about it when she gets back." Jazz replied.

"When do you plan to interview Windstreak and Shadowstrike?" Grindor asked.

"Considerin' all the travelin' we've done, thought we'd take a few joor to rest and then start with Windstreak." Jazz glanced at Elita. "I'll need Shadowstrike distracted while we're talkin' to her."

"Not a problem." Elita assured him.

"Soundwave also raised an important issue. If we let Windstreak leave the interrogation room before we get Shadowstrike, she might find Shadowstrike and warn her about what I want to talk to her about." Jazz looked at Elita once more. "Think ya can keep tabs on Shadowstrike while we're with Windstreak?"

"Not a problem." Elita assured him.

"And when we're close to being done with Windstreak, I'm going to let Shockwave know, and he's going to get Shadowstrike and take her to another interrogation room before Windstreak leaves, just to be safe." Jazz added.

"A good idea." Optimus agreed.

"I'm also going to do like the others and warn Windstreak not to tell anybot what we've discussed, but I'm not sure that she's going to listen, so 'Bee's going to keep an optic on her. If she contacts Firestar, Metallica, or Arcee, he's going to let you know, Elita." Jazz stated.

"Of course. I'll deal with it." Elita agreed.

Optimus frowned. "Jazz, I believe it would be easier to simply leave Windstreak in the interrogation room while you deal with Shadowstrike. Shockwave can keep an optic on her, or we can pull somebot else to do it instead of letting her go."

All optics were on the Prime.

"If what we have heard is true, then Windstreak does not need to be allowed to leave the interrogation room." Optimus told them.

"That could work, too." Jazz agreed. He had been unsure if they would be able to keep the femmes locked up, which was why Bumblebee was going to watch her.

"It might be helpful if Bumblebee keeps an optic on Shadowstrike before she is taken to the interrogation room. It'll be easier for him to watch her than me." Elita stated.

Jazz nodded right.

Once the meeting ended, all bots left except for Optimus and Megatron.

Megatron reached out and placed a hand on Optimus's shoulder. "Orion, are you all right?"

Optimus sighed. "No. It looks as if Shadowstrike did kill Ratchet, and it angers me that she had such a disregard for Ratchet's life and for the lives of our sparklings. She has been allowed to roam free and not have to own up to her crimes for far too long."

"Don't worry. She won't be allowed to get away with it for much longer." Megatron narrowed his optics. "Not even her sire will be able to get her out of this one."

"I hope not." Optimus murmured. He had no doubt that Shadowstrike and Windstreak's sires would attempt to get them out of trouble, but the Prime would not allow that to happen. Those two femmes had been responsible for Ratchet's death, Shadowstrike more so. They could not get away with taking his mate and his sparklings away from him.

"What about the other three? Considering the fact that the Senate will be angry that the daughters of two of their own are in trouble for it, they'll want the punished as well." Megatron stated.

"It's the military, Megatron. They have no say in what happens. What happens depends on how blameless they truly are. I am considering processor-checks on them all. Just to make sure they knew nothing." Optimus stated.

Megatron nodded. He knew that that was a bit drastic, but he also knew that his brother wanted to make sure that all those involved in Ratchet's death paid for it, and the grey mech could not blame Optimus for that. "Then that's what will be done."

"It'll wait, though. I want to know what Windstreak decides to tell Jazz." Optimus wasn't sure if she would turn on Shadowstrike, but if she was anything like many of the upper class and the Senate, then she would turn on Shadowstrike to save her own aft.

"No sympathy for Shadowstrike, I assume." Megatron stated.

Optimus's optics hardened. "She will receive the same sympathy and mercy from me that she showed Ratchet."

None, Megatron realized. He also knew that Shadowstrike deserved no less and that she had brought all of this on herself with her own actions. He would gladly watch her squirm once the femme realized that she was out of excuses.

* * *

After Jazz had rested for a while, he decided to call the other three members of his team together so that they could continue with their investigation. The saboteur knew that the sooner they finished up, the sooner the Prime could continue with what he needed to do.

While Bumblebee kept an optic on Shadowstrike to ensure that she remained in the dark about what was going on, Jazz had gone to Elita's office, where he found that Windstreak was already in the office with her commander.

Windstreak was a white femme who had streaks of dark green in a zigzag pattern on her arms and streaks of blue in a zigzag pattern on her legs. Her optics were a deep blue.

The moment that the door opened, Windstreak turned to look at Jazz. She wasn't sure why Prime's third was coming to the office. Granted, it wasn't uncommon for him to come and speak to Elita about an official matter, but Windstreak hadn't thought that she would be present when the black and white saboteur entered the office. She then turned back toward her commander.

"Windstreak, Lieutenant Jazz is conducting an investigation under the orders of the Prime, and he needs to speak with you. You are to go with him and answer all questions that he has honestly and completely." Elita paused a moment before deciding to make her next statement. "And do remember that Lieutenant Jazz is a superior officer, and that his orders supersedes that of other officers." The femme commander knew that Windstreak would know which officers were superior to Jazz and whose orders Jazz did supersede. The femme figured that it would help if Windstreak was reminded of that before Jazz spoke with her alone.

Windstreak wasn't sure why her commander was reminding her of something that she was well-aware of, but just brushed it off. "Of course, Commander." She stood up and turned toward Jazz.

It was times like this that Jazz was thankful that he wore a visor all the time because he knew Windstreak couldn't see the harsh glare that he was giving her. Jazz knew what she had done and now was going to try to get her to admit it.

"Follow me." Jazz turned and headed out of Elita's office with Windstreak following him.

Windstreak was more than a little surprised to find that Jazz led her to the special ops building, but was even more surprised when he led her to an interrogation room.

"Sit down, Windstreak." Jazz ordered.

Windstreak hesitated for a moment before she walked over did as she was told. She felt as if she had done something wrong, and she knew that she had not done anything outside of protocol.

"I want to talk to you about the mission you had an orn ago when your team was ordered to go in save the Prime's consort, Ratchet, from the Quintessons." Jazz stated as he stood in front of the table across from Windstreak.

Windstreak immediately tensed at that. She had thought that the Senate closed the matter an orn ago. "Sir, with all due respect, Shadowstrike and I gave full report on the matter, and the Senate investigation said-" Windstreak stated.

"I know what the slagging report stated!" Jazz snapped.

Windstreak jumped.

"And I also know that you and Shadowstrike lied to our faces about what happened!" Jazz growled.

"Sir, we did not-" Windstreak stated.

"Don't give me that! You said that Ratchet died instantly when attacked, but the bond with Prime did not break for another two cycles! Then there's the fact that only you two wrote reports at all!" Jazz added, showing her the two reports that were made.

"Then they are the ones at fault." Windstreak retorted.

"I have spoken with all three of them separately over the last few cycles, Windstreak. All three of them gave corresponding accounts of what happened on that day that are completely different from the report that you and Shadowstrike gave us." Jazz stated.

Windstreak started to speak.

"And I already question the validity of your report given the fact that the reports you and Shadowstrike made are word for word the same." Jazz placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "I have been on quite a few missions in my time, Windstreak," Jazz's voice had lowered to a menacing level, "and never once have I or my teammates wrote a report that is word for word the same. They are similar as we give the same account of what happened on a mission. The only differences are if we had different parts to play in the mission. Even when we report on the exact same thing, they are not **word for word** as the reports you and Shadowstrike made out were."

Windstreak froze. She knew that it was true that she had turned in the exact same report as Shadowstrike, but there was no way in the Pit she was going to admit to that. "You are mistaken, sir. The reports were based on the same events that happened."

"Really?" Jazz shoved the two reports in front of her. "Read over them and then tell me that they are not word for word."

Windstreak didn't need to read them to know that they were exactly the same. "Sir, all this was dealt with an orn ago."

"Perhaps, but there are a lot of questions left unanswered. Starting with why, if the Quintessons did attack Ratchet, your team did not attempt to help Ratchet." Jazz stated.

"As was stated in my report, he was killed instantly." Windstreak retorted in a rather haughty manner.

Jazz's visor lit up briefly in anger. He could see her position as a high class femme coming to fruit now as he could see that she thought she was above whatever he would throw at her. "I think now is the time to remind you that your sire and Shadowstrike's sire have no authority within the military. If you are found to have acted in manner against protocol, then you can be reprimanded as harshly as need be. And it's Prime that will decide that." His tone indicated that he was not intimated by her in the least.

"My sire can make life for Prime the Pit!" Windstreak hissed.

"And Elita-1 can make yours that if she wishes." Jazz leaned in closer. "Do remember that Ratchet is her brother, meaning that if you had **ANYTHING **to do with his death, then she would make you pay for it."

Windstreak froze at the threat.

"And just so you are aware, all three of the other femmes have informed me of what really happened. Shadowstrike fired at Ratchet and struck him in the chest, claiming a change in orders had been issued. **YOU **backed up the claim. **YOU** left him for dead. **YOU **betrayed the Prime by aiding in the assassination of his mate." Jazz growled.

"No! No, that's not what happened!" Windstreak protested quickly.

"Isn't it? Shadowstrike told Prime to his face that Ratchet died instantly by the Quintessons' attack, yet the bond did not snap for two more cycles, meaning he was alive." Jazz told her, reigning in his emotions for the time being.

Windstreak's processors raced as she tried to come up with an explanation. "We weren't close enough to see whether his spark extinguished."

"Really? Shadowstrike told us and stated in the report that she sensed his spark extinguish. Made a point of saying it _**to Prime's face**_." Jazz hissed the last few words, emphasizing it.

Windstreak realized that the lie was falling to pieces and there was nothing she could do. "Our position was compromised."

Jazz pointed to both reports. "Each report specifically states that you remained undiscovered." His visor lit up again. "Even if Ratchet had perished, you should have recovered his frame for a proper burial, but you couldn't. Because Ratchet was alive at that point, would have received medical aid, and would have told us the Quintessons never attacked him."

Windstreak shook. She had been assured by Shadowstrike that their actions would never be found. Shadowstrike had told her that if it was, they'd be protected by Redwing and Quickstrike. It was all falling apart now.

"Let me tell you what I think. For whatever deranged reason she may have had, Shadowstrike decided that instead of rescuing Ratchet, she intended to use the mission as a chance to get rid of Ratchet." Jazz sated.

"No." Windstreak said unconvincingly.

Jazz ignored her. "Shadowstrike decided to kill Ratchet and did so in front of witnesses, telling them that she had received a change in orders, a claim you backed up to the other three. Change in orders go to the commander and the second on missions. That's why Shadowstrike needed you."

"No."

Jazz continued. "She needed you to back her up to the other three. You could simply say the grieving and all was an act to save face and hide the fact that Ratchet had been assassinated by the Prime "orders"." Jazz used his hands to put quotes around the word orders. "Arcee, Firestar, and Metallica all would remain in the dark about the fact that Ratchet was murdered by Shadowstrike by her own selfish desires."

"No." Windstreak wasn't even convinced herself.

"Shadowstrike murdered the Prime's mate and in turn murdered their sparklings as well." Jazz stated.

Windstreak looked up, horrified.

"Everybot knew that Ratchet was sparked with twins. It's another reason the rescue mission was so important. To rescue Ratchet in order to protect the twins." Jazz's visor darkened. "Shadowstrike killed all three of them."

Windstreak shook her helm. "No. Shadowstrike told me that something had gone wrong, and that they had lost the sparklings."

"If she said that, it was a lie." Jazz stated coldly.

Windstreak couldn't believe it. Two innocent sparklings who hadn't even been born yet had been killed. But why would Shadowstrike kill two sparklings? She knew why Shadowstrike wanted Ratchet dead, but-

"This is your only chance, Windstreak." Jazz said.

Windstreak looked up at the saboteur.

"You tell me right now everything you know, and your overall punishment for your treason may be reduced." Jazz told her.

Windstreak looked absolutely horrified. "Punishment!"

"You knew all this and let it happen. You are involved in this, even if it is in knowledge only. You can't escape full punishment, but if you cooperate, Prime might be more lenient." Jazz told her. He glared at her from behind his visor. "I make no promises, though."

Windstreak was torn. She didn't want to betray Shadowstrike. They had been friends since they were younglings. It was the main reason that she had agreed to back Shadowstrike up on this. But there was a lot more at stake now. She was looking at severe punishment for what happened. This was one time that she knew that her standing as a high class femme or her sire being a part of the Senate would not save her.

"All right. I'll see what Shadowstrike has to say." Jazz picked up the datapads and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Windstreak jumped up at that , knocking her chair over with a loud crash as she did so, but the femme barely paid attention to that fact.

Jazz stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Please, Lieutenant. I'll tell you what I do know." Windstreak told him.

Jazz turned back to her. "Explain."

"I was against it at first, sir. I knew how wrong it was, especially since he was sparked." Windstreak said.

Jazz approached the table and slammed his hands hard on the table.

Windstreak flinched at the show of anger.

"Then why did you?" Jazz growled.

"Shadowstrike and I grew up together. We've been friends for too long. I-I thought I needed to do it. We always said we would help each other whenever the other needed it. And she wanted help with this." Windstreak said.

Jazz gritted his denta. "Why did she do it?"

Windstreak vented air harshly before betraying her friend and telling Jazz the truth.

* * *

Arcee released a relieved vent of air as she finally finished cleaning the house. She glanced around at the now clean house. She knew that it wouldn't stay that way once the three younglings got to the house, but at least it would remain clean for a while.

Bulky arms wrapped around the femme from behind and lips were on the back of her neck.

Arcee leaned her helm back into the kiss. She knew without looking who was behind her, and it wasn't just because she recognized him from her sensors. Her spark knew instantly who it was that was behind her.

"How long have you been here?" the mech rumbled.

"A few joor. I saw the state of the house and decided that I needed to get it cleaned up. I can't live in this type of mess, Bulkhead." Arcee replied.

"Hmm. Sorry. I'm not known for my cleanliness like you and the doc are." Bulkhead stated.

"I noticed." Arcee turned around in the bulky mech's arm to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him passionately.

Bulkhead released a moan as he pulled Arcee tight against his body. He had missed his femme greatly and was glad that she was here now. He also was looking forward to spending a few joor alone with her before going to see his siblings and adoptive carrier. He ran his glossa over Arcee's lips and was overjoyed when the pink and blue femme responded and parted her lips. Bulkhead immediately slipped his glossa into the femme's mouth, roaming around.

Arcee moaned into the kiss as she tightened her arms around his neck. It had been far too long since the last time they had been together, the femme realized. She could tell by how wet her valve already was. She released a groan of protest when Bulkhead broke the kiss only to release a moan of appreciation as Bulkhead paid attention to her neck cables. "Somewhere other than the living room." Arcee managed to get out despite the pleasure that was assaulting her sensors.

"Hmm. Sure." Bulkhead then pulled her along and headed up the stairs.

Arcee willingly let the larger mech pull her up the stairs. After all, she had a feeling she knew where Bulkhead was heading, and it didn't faze the femme in the least.

Or maybe she didn't know where they were heading. She had expected the berth room.

Well, they actually did go into the berth room, but instead of heading over to the berth like Arcee expected, Bulkhead pulled the femme into the wash racks.

"Bulkhead, what are you doing?" Arcee asked, confused.

Bulkhead smirked at her. "Well, I noticed that you're dirty from you travels here and from cleaning, and I'm dirty from working today." He instantly turned on the solvent spray. "Thought we could get clean."

Arcee instantly saw where Bulkhead was going with this and couldn't help but be turned on by the thought. "Trying something new?"

"Thought you'd like it." Bulkhead replied.

Arcee smiled. "Sure do."

Bulkhead wrapped his arms around Arcee before lifting her off the ground and all but slamming the femme into the wall.

Arcee wrapped her arms around Bulkhead's neck at the same time she wrapped her legs around Bulkhead's midsection. "Show me what you got, big bot."

Bulkhead smirked and felt anticipation run through him at the sound of Arcee's interfacing panel clicking open. "Oh, I'll show you what I've got." He allowed his own interfacing panel to click back as he allowed his pressurized spike to extend.

Arcee shivered in want as she felt Bulkhead position his spike at her dripping valve. She tightened her legs around him in anticipation.

Bulkhead could feel just how wet she really was. "It's too easy to get you wet."

"Shut up and spike me already, lugnut!" Arcee retorted.

Bulkhead only chuckled at one of her many mock-insult names for him. He did as she asked, though, and thrust up into her valve, groaning at how tight she was.

Arcee gasped and threw her helm back as she felt Bulkhead's large spike stretch her out in a way that she hadn't been stretched in quite some time. "Primus, Bulkhead! Frag me!"

"Gladly." The large, green mech tightened his grip on the femme's legs before he started to thrust into her at a fast, slightly rough pace. He loved just how Arcee's valve would spasm around his spike. "It's been too long, 'Cee."

Arcee gasped as a particularly hard thrust hit the sensor nodes at the back of her valve, causing her to clutch to her lover. "Primus, Bulkhead! Ah! Oh, Primus, yes!"

Bulkhead loved hearing Arcee cry out like this. It's one of the reasons he was a bit rougher than he would have been otherwise. He enjoyed hearing those cries and pleas. And he knew that Arcee liked it a little rough.

Given how long it had been since the last time they had been together, Arcee wasn't able to last that long. She dug her fingers into Bulkhead's armor as she cried out in overload, her valve clamping down tightly around the spike inside of her.

Bulkhead growled at how tightly Arcee's valve gripped him before he thrust forward one more time and overloaded as well, his fluids filling her valve and then trickled down Arcee's inner thighs only to be washed away by the solvent shower.

Arcee rested her helm back against the wall, venting harshly. "You didn't have to touch me much to get me wet." She hated when that happened. She enjoyed foreplay a lot and hated when they didn't get around to it.

Bulkhead leaned forward and kissed her before pulling out of his femme placing her back on her feet. "I know, but you're here for a few breem, 'Cee. We'll have plenty of time to enjoy it."

Arcee smiled. "You're right."

The two cleaned themselves off before heading to the berth room and collapsing on the berth.

"We can get a little recharge. Doc's not expecting us for a few joor." Bulkhead stated.

"Good. I need to get some rest before I see the little ones. They are a handful, and it's better to have some recharge before I see them. I can't keep up with their energy otherwise." Arcee murmured.

"Makes me wonder how Doc manages." Bulkhead stated.

"I know." Arcee murmured.

Bulkhead quickly fell into recharge with his arms wrapped around Arcee.

Arcee remained online for a while longer as her thoughts drifted to what else she was going to have to do. She hadn't originally planned to do this, but there were some things that she was going to have to come clean about. She just hoped that Bulkhead understood why she didn't tell him.

More than that, she hoped the mech she had hidden it all from would forgive her for this because she had a feeling Prime and everybot close to him were not going to be that forgiving.

Finally, Arcee managed to slip into recharge, resting her helm on Bulkhead's chest and feeling the gentle of hum of his spark.

* * *

Shadowstrike didn't know why she had been brought here to the special ops building or why Elita-1 thought that she had to tell Shadowstrike that she needed to cooperate with Jazz since he would be the one questioning her about whatever the investigation was about. The black femme thought that she was above all this. She didn't see why she needed to be questioned. Anything they needed to know would easily be found in her reports. She made a full report on every mission so that she didn't have to deal with this slag! Her sire would be told of all this, and if her sire wouldn't talk to these idiots about their mistreatment of her, then she'd always go to Redwing. He owed her, and he would have to make sure that they left her alone from then on out.

What pissed Shadowstrike off the most was the fact that she had been waiting for nearly a joor. Whatever the slag Jazz was doing couldn't possibly be more important than talking to her! She was Shadowstrike, after all! She was the daughter of a prominent senator, and she was one of the best soldiers in the whole slagging army! She deserved better treatment than this!

This door opened, and Jazz entered the room. He walked over and set the datapads that he had in his hand on the table.

Shadowstrike, already angry at being kept waiting so long, stood up and angrily slammed her hands down on the table. "I demand to be let go now!"

Jazz's visor lit up in anger at what he had just learned and wasn't in the mood for Shadowstrike's superiority complex. "Sit down, soldier!"

"I demand-" Shadowstrike stated.

"I said sit down." Jazz's words were dangerous and held a tone that warned her not to argue with him.

Shadowstrike growled. She wouldn't be intimidated or threatened by him. "Once my sire hears of this, he'll have your helm! You can't treat me like this! I'm-"

"A murderer." Jazz finished.

Shadowstrike froze before her anger got the best of her. "How dare you! I have never done anything of the sort!"

"Consort Ratchet, our Prime's mate." Jazz retorted.

"The Quintessons-" Shadowstrike stated.

"Arcee, Firestar, and Metallica have already told us that you were the one who fired at Consort Ratchet and killed him. They also told me that you told them that you had received a change in orders from Prime himself that you were to kill Ratchet, not save him." Jazz sated.

"I never-" Shadowstrike tried.

"Windstreak also told me that you conned her into helping you. She said that you told her the sparklings had been lost, and that this was the best chance that you had to get rid of, now how did she put it," Jazz appeared to be thinking before his visor lit up again in anger, "oh, yeah, get rid of the worthless mech who dared to steal the Prime before you could get him."

"I, I would never-" Shadowstrike sputtered.

"We have your report which states that Ratchet died the moment he was hit, but the bond with Prime did not snap for two more cycles, meaning he was alive. You also stated, both in your report and to our faces, that your position was never compromised, which meant that you should have tried to save him, but you didn't. Because you fired at him, and you wanted him dead. From the way it sounds, you had hoped that you could become his mate once Ratchet was dead." Jazz told her. He had barely retained his anger when Windstreak had told him that Shadowstrike wanted to be the Prime's mate and had killed Ratchet in an attempt to become just that. Killing for position wasn't unheard of, and it pissed Jazz off that Ratchet paid for her jealousy and need for power.

Shadowstrike finally recovered. "How dare you accuse me of such! All three of those worthless femmes were lying! The Quintessons killed him! Not me! The Senate investigation exonerated us all!" Shadowstrike spat.

"Grindor, head of the Senate, has called that investigation incomplete and done with bias. After all, your sire's political ally did the investigation, meaning he had a lot to lose if he said you acted in the wrong. Grindor suggested this new investigation." Jazz stated.

"Arcee, Metallica, Firestar, and Windstreak were lying!" Shadowstrike insisted.

"I don't think they were. Windstreak admitted to it all. Has already issued an official statement on the matter as has Arcee, Metallica, and Firestar. Arcee, Metallica, and Firestar were in the dark and believed you when you said that you were acting under Prime's orders. Prime would not have sent any change in orders given the fact it was a special ops rescue mission. The orders would have come from me or Shockwave, but neither of us gave any change of orders." Jazz stated.

Shadowstrike froze. She had forgotten that issue.

"Regardless of what you say, four others have issued statements that state **YOU **fired and killed Consort Ratchet. Each of their statements are similar in content matter, completely contradicting what you stated in your report." Jazz told her.

Shadowstrike growled. "Windstreak wrote the exact same report!" She instantly froze as she realized what she had said.

"I know. When these reports were presented to Prime last breem, that was the first thing he noticed." Jazz glared at her from behind his visor. "Windstreak told us you had her copy your report."

Shadowstrike's processors raced before deciding that she wouldn't go down for this and intended to use her sire's position to her advantage. "My sire will not stand for this! My sire will see to it that you are demoted from your position! You'll regret messing with me! My sire has a lot of political power, and Redwing will back him up!"

Jazz had expected this. "Your sire, Redwing, and the entire Senate has no say in military matters. Only Prime, the High Lord Protector, and the commander of the military are ones in a position of political power to do such."

Shadowstrike was shocked at being told that so blatantly.

"And if the Senate does want to do something within the military, the head of the Senate must endorse such measures, and at least three-fourths of the Senate must approve that endorsement." Jazz was well-aware of the fact that while many in the Senate may have held a dislike for Ratchet, he knew that if they were presented with facts in the matter, they would not agree to it. Besides, many of the Senate had become more loyal to the Prime, and none of them would want to piss him off.

Shadowstrike was shocked.

"Your sire and Redwing can protest, but consider yourself under arrest for the assassination of the Prime's mate." Jazz stated.

'Why you-" Shadowstrike launched herself over the table with her blade out and brought it down at Jazz.

Jazz easily ducked out of the way of Shadowstrike's blade and grabbed her by the other arm before easily twisted her around so that he could slam her down on the table, holding her wrist back toward her shoulder blades, leaving Shadowstrike restrained. "Add attacking a superior officer to the crime."

"You can't prove it!" Shadowstrike snarled.

"Soundwave." Jazz stated.

Shadowstrike looked and was shocked when the blue mech entered the room.

"Session: recorded. Will be sent to: Prime, High Lord Protector, and head of Senate, Lieutenant." Soundwave informed him.

"Do that now, and send Shockwave in here. We have to deal with this prisoner." Jazz stated.

"Yes, Lieutenant." Soundwave left, and Shockwave soon returned.

"Prime has been informed of this attack as has Elita-1. She is to be sequestered in the prison for the time being." Shockwave stated.

"Right." Jazz stated.

"Prime also wishes you in his office." Shockwave motioned with his hand, and Ironhide and Ultra Magnus stepped in.

"They will assist me in getting Shadowstrike to the prison." Shockwave explained.

"All right." Jazz let Ironhide take Shadowstrike before he left.

"You'll all pay for this." Shadowstrike hissed.

"You've been allowed to walk around free for an orn. You're just being made to pay for your crime." Ironhide retorted.

Shadowstrike growled.

"Let's go." Shockwave ordered.

The three mechs forced Shadowstrike out of the room.

* * *

"Told ya we'd have plenty of time to enjoy it." Bulkhead stated.

Arcee glared at her lover. "You really had to frag me three times into the berth right before we go to see our family. You know that-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know that doc'll be able to tell, but he's a medic, and he knows that we're in a relationship. He also knows it's been a while, so he'll understand." The green mech slung an arm around the pink and blue femme. "Besides, it's not like the little ones will know, and that's all doc cares about."

Arcee sighed. "All right. Let's get going before the younglings start asking him a million times when we're going to get there."

Bulkhead laughed. "Sure thing."

The couple left the house and turned to the left, walking down the road. They walked in comfortable silence as the normally did.

Arcee was calm on the outside, but her processors were in turmoil. She was going to have to tell them both everything, and that scared her. She didn't know how they would react. Of course, how the doctor was supposed to react when she had hidden so much about his past from him was beyond her.

The two arrived at a modest looking house that was red in color. It was also three stories. The doctor who lived there had three youngling, and he made a good living, so it shouldn't be too surprising that he had a bigger home than Bulkhead did, who lived by himself except for when Arcee was there, or when his brother's lover kicked him out of his home.

Two mechs, a large, dark blue one and a smaller red one, were in the living room.

"What are you two doing here?" the red mech asked.

"Arcee got into town today, Knock Out. Thought you knew that." Bulkhead stated.

Knock Out shot the blue mech a glare. "And just why did you not tell me about this, Breakdown?"

"Um, well, you see-" Breakdown stammered, not having a real explanation as to why he had neglected to tell his lover that Arcee was heading into town.

"Breakdown, I'd suggest that you give him a good answer because you're not crashing at my place tonight." Bulkhead joked.

"Not helping, Bulk." Breakdown muttered.

"Arcee!"

The blue and pink femme just in time to see the red and blue femme Seekerling that launched herself at the adult femme. Arcee easily caught her. "Easy there, Lightshow."

Lightshow looked up at Arcee with bright blue optics. "I'm so glad that you're here! It's been too long since the last time you were here! How long are you staying? I hope you're staying for a while! You're so much fun to play with! And Bulkhead's happier when you're around. Are you going to play with us a lot? You usually do, and I was wondering-" Lightshow kept on blabbering, not giving Arcee time to answer any of them.

Arcee laughed before interrupting the rambling youngling. "Lightshow, enough. I'm here for a few breem, and you know I always make a lot of time for you."

"Good! I'm so glad you're here!" Lightshow hugged the older femme.

Arcee smiled.

"Hi, Arcee!" A little green youngling ran into the room then.

"Springer, you've gotten a lot bigger since the last time I saw you!" Arcee knelt down as the green youngling came over.

"I know I did. Carrier says there we're getting bigger and bigger all the time." Springer smiled at her. "I'll be as big as Bulkhead before you know it."

"You sure will, Springer." Bulkhead reached down and picked Springer up. "You'll be big and strong like me one of these days."

"Let's just hope that he has more processors than you do." Breakdown stated.

"Oh, can it, Breakdown!" Bulkhead glared at Breakdown. "Don't forget that I let you crash in my spare room when you piss K.O. off. I could easily not let you crash there."

"So what? I could always come here." Breakdown retorted.

Arcee noticed the little red and orange sparkling in Knock Out's lap. He had flames painted on his chest. He was curled up into Knock Out's arms. "Is something wrong with Hot Rod?"

"Lightshow had a virus she picked up at the youngling center, and then Springer came down with it." Breakdown told her.

"So, Hot Rod has it?" Arcee asked as she set Lightshow back down on the ground.

"It's in the beginning stages. I would say that he'll be overheating and purging within the next cycle or two." a deep voice stated.

Arcee turned toward the source of the voice and smiled at the large mech that entered the room.

"Glad to see you are here, Arcee. I trust that your trip went well." the white and orange mech said.

"Yes." Arcee walked over and kissed the mech on the cheek. "It's good to see you again, Ratchet."

Ratchet smiled at the femme. "I'm glad to see you back, Arcee."

Arcee smiled at the mech that she had saved an orn ago. She would have to tell Ratchet the entire truth about what happened back then in front of Breakdown, Knock Out, and Bulkhead. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Yeah. There was no way I could really kill Ratchet off. He's one of my favorite characters.

Drop a review and let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

Love all the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 6

Arcee, Bulkhead, Breakdown, and Knock Out were all sitting in the living room sipping on cubes of high grade while Ratchet put the three younglings down for recharge that night.

"So, what's new with you, Arcee?" Breakdown asked.

"There's not much to tell, Breakdown. I've just been doing my job like I always do." Arcee hesitated before admitting something else. "Although Lieutenant Jazz of special ops is conducting a special investigation under the orders of Grindor, the head of the Senate, and the Prime. He needed to talk to me about a past mission that I had gone on."

"Anything come of it?" Knock Out asked before taking a sip of his high grade.

"No. At least, not that I know of. The lieutenant questioned me and then told me that I just wasn't to talk about what we discussed to any of the members of the team from that mission. I'm surprised that they didn't take my leave from me, but I suppose it's because being here meant that I wouldn't have any contact with the other members of the team." Arcee answered.

"Isn't the lieutenant also Prime's second?" Ratchet asked as he entered the room.

Bulkhead picked up the empty cube that was sitting on the table before pouring the high grade into the cube and handing it to the medic.

Ratchet took it as he sat down beside Knock Out.

"No. Lieutenant Jazz is Prime's third. Captain Prowl is his second." Arcee replied.

"Oh, yes. If I recall correctly, Captain Prowl is also Prime's step-creation." Ratchet murmured.

"Uh, yes, he is. Prowl's the son of his mate." Arcee quickly drank on her high grade, knowing that she was going to need it to tell Ratchet everything he needed to know.

"Deceased mate, you mean." Breakdown shook his helm. "Still can't believe those blasted Quintessons killed the Prime's mate."

Arcee nearly choked on her energon.

"You can't change the past, Breakdown. All you can do is move toward the future. Prime has dealt with his loss." Ratchet told him.

"How? By choosing his deceased mate's sister as his new consort. Doesn't matter that their relationship is just a political thing and nothing deeper to it. Still is wrong for him to choose a new one so soon after his mate perished." Breakdown retorted.

"Yeah, but remember that part of that was the Senate's doing. They were the ones pushing for the Prime to choose a new mate fast." Bulkhead downed his high grade. "No secret that the Senate couldn't stand the Prime's last mate."

"Perhaps not, but it's not for us to decide." Ratchet glanced over at Arcee. "Now, what is on your processors, Arcee?"

Arcee did get choked on her energon this time and coughed a few times to clear her intakes.

Bulkhead patted her on her back. "You okay, 'Cee?"

Arcee ignored the question from Bulkhead and turned her attention to Ratchet. "What are you talking about, Ratchet?"

"Oh, please, Arcee. I might be older than all of you by a long shot, but I am by no means stupid, ignorant, or senile. Far from any of those. You've been acting like you were walking to your own death since you got here. I assumed you didn't mention anything because you didn't want to speak of the matter in front of the younglings. That being said, why do you not get whatever is on your processors out in the open so that you can stop fretting over whatever it is." Ratchet then took a sip of his high grade as he waited for Arcee to continue.

Bulkhead looked over at Arcee. "That true, 'Cee? There something you need to tell us?"

Arcee fidgeted a moment before getting up and pacing slightly. "Okay. There is something I need to tell you." She sighed. "That investigation I mentioned revealed a lot more than I originally thought, and, well, it involves-" Arcee trailed off a moment before turning to face Ratchet. "It involves you, Ratchet."

Ratchet looked more than a bit surprised at that. "Me? What could the Prime's investigation into a past mission of yours have to do with me? I am not a mech of high class, and I have never been involved in politics, nor do I intend to become involved in them."

Arcee winced. "That's-not entirely true."

Breakdown frowned. "Okay, Arcee. We all know that there's more to doc's past than you've let on. We've always known you know more about doc than any of us, even him. Now it's time you come clean about everything that you slagging-OWW!" Breakdown rubbed his helm where the wrench had hit him.

Ratchet glared at Breakdown. "Do not use such language in this house when the younglings are here. And keep it down. They are trying to recharge." The white and orange mech then turned his attention to Arcee. "Now, I have always known you know more about who I am than you ever let on."

Arcee cringed. "Was I that transparent?"

"In a way, but given everything, I assumed as much. I also assumed that you had a good reason for not telling me about my past. Meaning I either did not want to know who I was before, or you were trying to protect me from something." Ratchet stated.

Arcee had to be transparent for him to have known that. She had thought that she was protecting him, even if she really wasn't. Or rather, there was nothing she needed to protect him from. Granted, she hadn't known that at the time, but it turned out to be the reality.

"Now, I think that you need to tell us the whole truth." Ratchet stated.

"I don't even know where to begin." Arcee murmured, rubbing her helm. There was so much that she needed to tell the mech who had become so important in her life, who had become like a surrogate creator to her.

"Start with who I really am." Ratchet suggested.

Arcee sighed before starting. "Your designation really is Ratchet. There was no reason to lie about that. Your designation doesn't always reveal a great deal about who you are."

"Indeed. The designation Ratchet could be anybot." Ratchet agreed.

Arcee vented air deeply before telling Ratchet the first part. "Ratchet, you're the Prime's supposedly dead mate."

* * *

Optimus, Grindor, Megatron, Elita, Prowl, Galvatron, and Starscream all watched the recorded video feeds of the interrogations of Windstreak and Shadowstrike. To say that they were all shocked at what Windstreak had revealed and at what Shadowstrike had done, specifically in attacking Jazz, was an understatement. One, she attacked a superior officer, a court marshal offense. Second, Jazz was special ops and had become the head of it because of his skill. Attacking him is like signing your death warrant.

"That slagging glitch! How dare she think she could just get away with what she's done!" Galvatron growled. He clenched his fists tightly. "I'd love to get my hands on her!"

Grindor sighed. "I believe I will need to bring all of this to Senate's attention now."

"You realize that the Senate is going to protest all of this, more specifically Quickstrike is going to protest all of this." Starscream stated.

Grindor shook his helm. "Redwing will be the stronger protestor. As far as he is concerned, everything he has ever done is right, and he won't accept the fact that his investigation has been deemed incomplete. He'll protest that. Plus, Quickstrike is his political ally, so he'll do everything he can to ensure that Shadowstrike is exonerated."

"Considering the fact that we have four femmes whose statements contradict those of Shadowstrike's report, it'll be hard for her to be exonerated." Megatron stated.

Jazz had been sitting there, and although he as listening, he wasn't really hearing what was being said. His thoughts were elsewhere, namely on his conversation with Arcee. He just had this feeling in his spark that there was something that Arcee was holding back from him when he spoke with her. He had nothing concrete, so he couldn't stop her from leaving. And it's not like it was something that he could bring to them. But he knew Arcee had hidden something from him, and he needed to find out just what it was that the femme was hiding.

"Jazz, what is the next step you want to take?" Optimus asked.

There was no response.

The Prime looked over at his third and found Jazz looking at them although he didn't seem aware of much. "Jazz?"

Prowl sighed. "It's no use. He's lost in his thoughts." The Praxian stood up and walked over to Jazz. "Jazz." He reached out and placed a hand on Jazz's shoulder, shaking him slightly, but received no response.

"He's going to blow a circuit if he thinks too hard." Elita muttered.

Prowl sighed. He wasn't big on public displays of affection. He preferred it to be in the privacy of their quarters where he showed his affection for Jazz. But he supposed he would have to make an exception this one time to get Jazz's attention. The black and white Praxian leaned down and pressed his lips to Jazz's.

Most of the others in the room were shocked as they did not see Prowl showing such displays of affection in front of others. The most they saw was a hug or maybe holding hands, not kissing.

Jazz's jolted at the feel of his lover's lips on his own and was instantly drawn out of his thoughts by the sensation.

Prowl then broke the kiss.

"Uh, you okay, Prowler?" Jazz asked, shocked at the sudden kiss. And in front of an audience no less.

"There was no other way to get your attention. It's the easiest way to get you out of your thoughts." Prowl then gestured to Optimus. "He was asking you a question."

"Oh." Jazz looked at the Prime. "Sorry 'bout that, Prime. Guess my thoughts started runnin' on meh. What was it you asked?"

"How do you want to proceed now?" Optimus repeated.

"Not real sure. I've talked to everybot who was involved in the mission, and I've read over everything we have on tha matter, which ain't much. Most of the reports are lies as far as what happened on the actual mission." Jazz stated. He frowned. "As much as we all hate these things, Ah honestly think that processor exams are going to have to be done to know the truth."

Grindor sighed. "Something else for the Senate to argue over."

"They have no say in it, Grindor." Optimus leaned back. "The Senate has no real control over what happens in the military." He glanced over at Elita. "You're the only one who would have a real ground to protest this on, Elita."

"And there won't be one. If any of my femmes were involved in this, then they need to be exposed." Elita's face contorted into an angered expression. "And if they acted in a traitorous manner, then it needs to be made known to the entire Cybertronian population."

Optimus nodded. "I do not like authorizing such as it is truly a breach of their rights of freedoms, but it may be the only way." He didn't like authorizing such invasive processor exams because it seemed to strip them of their rights and privacy.

"We wouldn't have to go through their entire memory bank, Prime. Just the time period we're investigating." Jazz stated.

Optimus nodded helm.

Megatron looked over at Grindor. "When will you need to tell the Senate?"

"Right now. The sooner I tell them, the better off we're going to be. It will cause an uproar with many of them but at this moment, they can't do anything." Grindor answered.

"Jazz, is there anything else?" Optimus asked.

Jazz frowned. "Well, there is, but I'm not sure how pertinent it is."

"What is it?" Prowl asked.

"When I was talkin' ta Arcee about the mission, I got tha feelin' she was holdin' somethin' back. Like she didn't want ta say something." Jazz stated.

"Why didn't you question her on it?" Galvatron demanded.

"'Cause I'm not sure what she's holdin' back. It's not based on anything I heard or saw in her, Galvatron. Just a feelin' I got." Jazz stated.

"Jazz, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, your feelings are right." Prowl pointed out.

"I know, Prowler. But I was more focused on finding out all I could about what actually happened on the mission. And I don't think she was involved in any manner like Windstreak was. She honestly thought there had been a change in orders like Firestar and Metallica did." Jazz shook his helm. "I just get the feeling there was somethin' she was holdin' back."

"Perhaps this should be dealt with soon, then." Grindor stated.

"Probably." Jazz agreed. He vented air. "Other than that, nothin' I can think of to do. Soundwave has all of the interrogations recorded. Senate won't like them, but you can show them exactly what was said."

Everybot in the room had seen their recordings and knew that the Senate would want to hear them.

"You realize they are going to call into questions the wisdom in having Jazz as the head of this investigation." Megatron stated.

All optics turned to the High Lord Protector.

"I'm not questioning it, but they will." Megatron replied.

"I will handle that. It was my suggestion that Jazz head up this investigation, and I will stand by my judgment." Grindor answered.

Optimus knew that he could depend on Grindor to do as he said. The Prime's spark was heavy with all that he had learned and all that he would have to do and contend with, but at least he was finally getting the answers that he had sought for so long.

* * *

Ratchet sat there in pure shock. He was the Prime's supposedly dead mate? That was impossible! There was no way that a mech like him could have been the Prime's mate! He was vaguely aware of the fact that the others were talking, but he wasn't really able to comprehend what was being said.

"What do you mean doc's the Prime's mate? We all know that the Prime's mate was killed while the Quintessons held him captive back during the war." Breakdown stated.

"I believe your processors need to be examined, Arcee. They appear to be malfunctioning if you believe that something of that nature is true." Knock Out told her.

Arcee sighed, having expected them to think this. "What was the Prime's mate's designation?"

"Well, it was Ratchet, but like you said, anybot could be designated that." Bulkhead told her.

Arcee sighed. "Listen. My processors are fine, and I know exactly what I'm talking about. Ratchet is the Prime's mate."

Ratchet shook his helm. "Arcee, I am hardly a high class mech or a political one. I hardly suitable to be the Prime's mate."

"But you were more than suitable for Orion Pax." Arcee replied.

Ratchet frowned. "Who?"

"Optimus Prime was known as Orion Pax before he became the Prime. He was a simple archivist who worked in the Hall of Records. You two met there. You began a relationship, and you two had decided to bond when Orion Pax was announced to be the next Prime. Despite opposition from the Senate, Prime chose to bond with you because he loved you, Ratchet. You are his mate." Arcee urged.

Ratchet set the cube of high grade down, knowing that he didn't need any more of it to cloud his processors at the moment. "Then why have you not told me this before?"

Arcee sighed. "I was a part of the femme team who was supposed to rescue you from the Quintessons. The leader of the team fired and hit you in the chest before we could react. She claimed she was under direct orders of the Prime to kill you." Arcee sat back down by Bulkhead. "I only recently learned that she was never ordered to kill you and that she attempted to kill you for her own reasons, whatever they are."

Ratchet was quiet a moment. "Then the story that the Quintessons were the ones who killed Prime's mate, err, me-"

"Were fake. I couldn't take the guilt and went back to where we had left you. I found you about twenty kliks away. You were unconscious. I got you to the next town, Tarn, where a friend was able to stabilize you. I then moved you to Creon, where I knew no one would look for you. You recovered here, and it was here that we realized you had amnesia." Arcee stated.

Ratchet started to understand. "You believed that if you were to tell everybot back in Iacon that I was alive-"

"I was sure you would be killed. I thought the story that Quintessons had killed you was a cover story." Arcee leaned over, putting a hand over her face. "I never once thought that I was lied to. Until a few cycles ago."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge.

"The investigation that Lieutenant Jazz is conducting is into this very issue. It's why I found out that you were supposed to be rescued, not killed." Arcee stated.

Ratchet was quiet a moment. This was a lot for him to take in.

"How could you not tell us any of this before? Don't you think we needed to know?" Breakdown demanded.

"Since he had amnesia, I saw no reason to upset Ratchet with what I thought was the truth. He could live here without fear of being hunted and live peacefully with Hot Rod and Lightshow, who also survived the attack." Arcee stated.

"We should have known, 'Cee. If they had uncovered him, we could have been prepared to protect him." Bulkhead told her.

"I know, but I thought this was the best way." Arcee said.

Ratchet watched Arcee for a moment before deciding to speak. "Bulkhead. Breakdown. Knock Out."

All three looked over at Ratchet.

"Could you please leave Arcee and me alone for a while? I'd like to talk to her alone." Ratchet said.

"Sure. We should head on home as it is." Knock Out replied.

Breakdown started to protest, but a glare from Knock Out stopped him. He merely stood and followed Knock Out as he left.

"I'll head on home." Bulkhead looked over at Arcee. "I'll see you later." He leaned over and kissed the femme before leaving as well.

Arcee and Ratchet sat there in silence for several moments as neither bot was sure of what to ask or what to say given the revelation.

Arcee turned to look at Ratchet and decided to be the one who spoke first. "What do you want to know?"

Ratchet was hesitated a moment before speaking. "Everything you can tell me."

Arcee nodded before starting.

* * *

Prowl was lying on his and Jazz's berth. He was still digesting everything that he had learned from Jazz's investigation. His carrier had not been killed by the Quintessons. His carrier had been killed by one of their own all because Shadowstrike thought that she was more deserving of being the Prime's mate than Ratchet was.

It wasn't right! His carrier would have still been alive if that blasted femme had not let her jealousy get the best of her!

Prowl turned and buried his face in his arms as sobs overcame him. His carrier would have still been alive and with him if not for her. His carrier should have still been alive. It wasn't fair that he had lost his carrier. And that slagging femme had been roaming around free as if she had done nothing wrong! She was alive and well and scheming while his carrier was gone! And so were his brother and sister! Did she not care that she had taken three lives!

Prowl never heard the door to their quarters open, and he never heard the door to their berth room open. He did felt the gentle hands on his back that slowly pulled him toward another frame. Prowl turned and clung to the frame of his mate.

"I'm sorry, Prowler." Jazz truly was sorry that his mate had to learn his carrier's death was the work of a fellow Cybertronian, not the work of an alien enemy.

"He would have still been with us if she-if she-" Prowl couldn't even say it.

Jazz gently rubbed his mate's back. "I know, Prowler. I know. We know what she's done now, though, and she won't be allowed to get away with it any longer. We both know the punishment for such, and not even Shadowstrike's sire will be able to sway Prime on her punishment."

The punishment for any attempt on the life of the Prime, the High Lord Protector, or their mates was an immediate death sentence. It meant that Shadowstrike would be permanently offlined for her actions.

Prowl tightened his hold on Jazz. He thought that knowing the truth about what had happened to his carrier would help him to move on. Instead, it only made the pain worse. He now knew that his carrier would have still been here had it not been for Shadowstrike, and that only made the pain worse.

Jazz held his mate and allowed Prowl to cry out his pain. It hurt the black and white saboteur to see his mate in such pain, but he knew that it was something that he couldn't stop. It was going to hurt Prowl to know that his carrier had been killed by a Cybertronian, and there was nothing Jazz could do except for offer his mate the comfort he needed.

* * *

"So, my creators and my siblings are alive." Ratchet murmured.

"Yeah. Elita-1, who is the Prime's consort now, is your sister. There has never been anything intimate between them." Arcee told him.

"Yes. I remember when it came out that they were not truly bonded or lovers. It was all for political reasons, mainly to get the Senate off the Prime's back about choosing a new mate." The medic frowned. "If I remember correctly, the Senate was forcing several femmes at Prime."

"They were. All of them were daughters of Senators who could be controlled by the Senate." Arcee answered.

Ratchet nodded. "If they control the Prime's mate, it's possible they can control Prime. I can see their reasoning in that." He found it hard to be truly angry or hurt by all this when he had no memory of being with Optimus Prime or Orion Pax.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you any if this before, Ratchet. This was your life, and you had every right to know about it." Arcee rubbed her helm. "You had every right to confront them about what happened, and you have every right to be angry with me."

"Arcee, did you believe this femme when she said that she had received orders to kill me?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes." Arcee stated.

"Did you have to come back and save me?" Ratchet asked.

Arcee was startled. "Well, no, I didn't."

"And did you think, honestly, that I would have been killed had I gone back to Iacon?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes. I did." Arcee admitted.

"Then there is nothing for you to be upset with yourself about. You thought that you were protecting me and my creations. I am a bit upset that you didn't tell me any of this before. I did have a right to know who I was, but I can understand why you did what you did, Arcee. I'm not angry." Ratchet smiled at her. "Truthfully, I owe you a great deal."

Arcee was startled by that and her expression showed it.

"Arcee, if you had not gone back to find me, I would have died from my injuries as would have the sparklings. My creations had a chance to survive because of you. I am alive because of you." Ratchet smiled. "And I now have Springer, whom I wouldn't have found had I not been brought here. I adopted him and raise him as my own. I wouldn't have done that had you not found me." Ratchet laughed. "And I suppose I can't forget about Bulkhead, Breakdown, or Knock Out. Or any of the mechs and femmes who are friends and colleagues and neighbors that I have now. I have all of them because of you, Arcee. You gave me a chance to survive, and I'm grateful for that."

Arcee swallowed at that. She couldn't believe how understanding he was. She didn't deserve this level of understanding. "Ratchet, would you be willing to go back to Iacon?"

Ratchet froze at that.

"I know you don't remember them, but all these bots have been grieving over you for an orn. They miss you, and I think they need to know that you are alive." Arcee told him.

Ratchet sighed. "I will consider it, Arcee." He stood. "It's late, and I think you should go get some rest."

"Of course." Arcee stood as well. "And Ratchet, just so you are aware, Optimus Prime is Hot Rod and Lightshow's sire." She then turned and left.

Ratchet sighed. He was the mate of the Prime who had been thought dead for an orn, and he had given birth to the Prime's creations without ever knowing it.

What a cycle!

* * *

Optimus sat in the sitting room of his quarters. He had known that Shadowstrike had been the one to kill Ratchet since Arcee's interview. He had known that his mate would have still been alive had it not been for Shadowstrike's actions.

But to know that Shadowstrike had done it because she thought that she was more deserving of being his mate than Ratchet was just too much. She had killed his mate and his creations because she wanted to force her way into becoming his mate.

It was infuriating!

The Prime clenched his fists tightly. He was angry that his mate had died as a result of the jealous tendencies of a fragging femme who thought she was above every other bot on the planet all because she wanted to be known as the Prime's mate! She took three innocent lives for just that reason!

Optimus slammed his hands down into the table in front of him, cracking the table in the process. His frame then started to shake as sobs overtook him.

Elita had heard the sounds and walked into the sitting room to find that the Prime was hunched over and sobbing. She walked over and wrapped her arms around the Prime, holding him as her own tears started to fall. "I know, Optimus. I know that it hurts."

"She killed him for her own twisted reasons, and Redwing helped her get away with it." Optimus choked on a sob. "He would have been alive-they would have been alive if it wasn't for her."

Elita leaned forward and rested her chin on the Prime's shoulder. "I know, Optimus. Shadowstrike was wrong, but she won't be allowed to get away with it any longer. She'll have to pay for her crimes now." She knew that it was a little comfort to the Prime, who was suffering as much as he had an orn ago.

After crying for nearly half a joor, the Prime managed to pull himself together.

Elita loosened her hold, but continued holding him.

"Elita, I'm going to announce that I'm releasing you as my consort." Optimus told her.

"Are you certain?" Elita moved to sit on the table, but Optimus stopped her. Elita looked at him questioningly.

"It might break. I sort of hit it. Hard." Optimus told her. He felt embarassed that he had done something of that nature. He didn't like losing control of his temper like that.

Elita nodded and moved to the chair across from him. "Are you sure of this?"

"The Senate won't con me, Elita." Optimus smiled at her. "And I know how you and Galvatron feel about each other. It's not right."

"Optimus, I-" Elita started.

"I know. I know your reasons for doing it, and I know that Galvatron knew why you were doing it. You both sacrificed an orn that you could have been together for my sake. I appreciate it, Elita, but I think that the time has come to end this charade. You both deserve to be happy, and I want that for you both." Optimus told her.

"What about you?" Elita asked.

"I'll be fine, Elita. I won't deny that what I have learned is-difficult." That was the largest understatement in the history of Cybertron. "It's making me grieve all over again, but I won't allow the Senate to run over me. I won't allow myself to pushed into bonding with a bot of their choosing."

"More like a femme of their choosing." Elita muttered.

"In any case, I won't let that happen. This charade needs to end, Elita." Optimus told her.

Elita nodded her helm. "I understand, Optimus. We both knew that we weren't going to live like this for the rest of our function. It was just a matter of when we would end it."

Optimus nodded in agreement. "The Senate has been waiting for this, although I believe we're about to deal out a harsher blow to them then they think."

"Learning that the daughter of one their own is being charged with killing Ratchet won't sit well with them. And you know that they are going to protest the processor exams." Elita stated.

"And they have no say in them." The Prime frowned. "I know they will protest it, but the fact of the matter is that they can't do a slagging thing about it. And I don't intend to allow them to stop it. I want the truth. Though I don't doubt that Shadowstrike did do this, I want the confirmation from the processor exams."

"I understand why, Optimus. Believe me. You're getting no argument out of me." The pink femme grimaced. "It just sickens me to know that she would have so little regard for life to do this."

"I know, Elita." Optimus raised his hand and rubbed between his optics. "This has been a long process. It feels like it's taken a few groon instead of only a breem and a half."

"I know." Elita sighed. "And it's about to get a lot worse."

Optimus groaned. "Don't remind me. I do not look forward to when the Senate finds out all of this."

"When does Grindor plan to tell them?" Elita asked.

"Grindor told me he's calling the Senate together tomorrow. They'll meet in about two cycles. He'll tell them then." Optimus answered.

Elita nodded. "And when are you announcing about us?"

"Tomorrow. I want that done before Grindor makes his announcement to the Senate. Might as well get one out of the way as fast as possible." Optimus stated.

Elita nodded in agreement. She stood up and started for her room, but stopped. "Should I tell my creators and brother this?"

Optimus hadn't actually thought of that. "I-suppose I should."

Elita shook her helm. "You have enough to worry about. I'll let them know."

Optimus nodded.

Elita then headed off to her room.

Optimus sighed and stood up, heading into his berth room. His spark was heavy as the grief started to pile up again. He missed Ratchet so much! And knowing that Ratchet would have still been alive and with him had it not been for the actions that Shadowstrike took only made that worse.

Optimus collapsed onto his berth and offlined his optics as his thoughts were plagued with what had happened an orn ago. He missed his mate greatly and wished that things had turned out different. He would give anything to have Ratchet back.

* * *

Shadowstrike couldn't believe that this had happened. She had been so sure that she would be able to get rid of that worthless medic that dared call himself worthy to be the Prime's mate. That was supposed to be her place, slag it! She was the one that was worthy to be the Prime's mate! Not some unknown medic who didn't deserve what he was given!

Shadowstrike realized what an opportunity she had to get rid of him when she was chosen to be on the rescue team. On top of that, she was the commander. She could easily claim that it was the Quintessons that had killed him and get away with killing the Prime's worthless mate.

The first step had been to ensure that Windstreak would back her up when she told the other three femmes that there had been a change in orders to cover herself. It hadn't been easy to convince Windstreak of it as Windstreak knew that it was treason and knew that it was wrong. Plus, the femme couldn't deal with the fact that Ratchet was sparked. She couldn't kill innocent sparklings.

Who the slag cared about those blasted things! They were insignificant, and Shadowstrike wasn't about to let a little thing like two lives that should never have been created in the first place stop her. She simply lied to Windstreak and led her to believe that the sparklings had been lost for whatever reason. It also took guilt-tripping Windstreak by using their friendship to get her to do it, but she managed.

It had been too easy to kill him. With how she hit him, she knew that he would die from those injuries. Why not let him suffer a while? Perfect punishment for thinking he was worthy of the Prime.

It was simple to tell Arcee, Metallica, and Firestar that it had been orders, and that they weren't to discuss it. It was all too easy to tell the Prime to his face that Ratchet had died. She hadn't expected Ratchet to survive as long as he had. The search parties had scared her because she knew that if they found him alive and he survived, it would mean he would reveal that the Quintessons hadn't attacked him.

Luckily, the medic did die, which worked in Shadowstrike's favor. The black femme knew Redwing would try to force her on the Prime, and in his grief, he would give in and bond with her, giving her exactly what she wanted.

But Elita-1 had gotten in her way! She couldn't believe that her slagging commander had the audacity to steal what was hers! And Shadowstrike couldn't do anything because she knew it would be a lot harder to take out Elita-1! She had been waiting for the right time to strike.

And now, that worthless lieutenant had found her out! And Windstreak had sold her out! When her sire got her out of this mess, and she knew he would, Windstreak was going to pay for her betrayal with her life!

Shadowstrike didn't care what it took. She would get away with this as she had done for an orn, and she would get rid of Elita-1, and she would become the Prime's new mate. She wouldn't let anything stand in her way.

She was the daughter of Quickstrike, a very well known and powerful senator. She would get out of this and demand the Prime to bond with her as an apology. It would all work out in the end.

Shadowstrike sat back in her cell with a huff. She would get away with this, and she would get everything that she wanted.

* * *

Ratchet stood in the doorway of Lightshow's room. He looked at the recharging femmeling with a smile on his face. She was a bundle of energy and was calmest when she was in recharge.

Ratchet moved on and looked into Springer's room. The little green mechling may have been his adopted creation, but he loved that mech as if he was his own. Springer was as much his as the other two were.

Finally, Ratchet moved on and looked in on Hot Rod. The little mechling was curled into a ball under his blanket. Being in the beginning stages of having a virus meant that he would be in Ratchet's room with him before long. The little mechling usually was as full of energy as the other two, but he was running lower on energy.

With a sigh, Ratchet turned and headed to his own room. He walked in and headed over to his berth. He sat on the edge before looking at a picture file he had on a table by his berth. The picture was of himself, Springer, Hot Rod, Lightshow, Bulkhead, Arcee, Breakdown, and Knock Out. It had been taken the last time Arcee had come here for a visit. They were his family.

Now, the medic had learned he had an even larger family. A sire and carrier who, according to Arcee, loved him very much and missed him deeply. He had a brother and sister who had grieved over his loss and who had been close to him. He had a brother-in-law who cared a great deal about him and two nephews who hadn't even been born when he had been attacked and lost his memory. He had two sons who had thought that their carrier was dead for so long. He also had a grand-creation who was in his third vorn of adolescence, and a newborn grand-creation who was only five groon old. He also had a mate who had believed him dead for so long. A mate who was the Prime. A mate who was grieved by his loss. A mate who was the sire to his creations.

Ratchet's greatest regret was that he could not tell Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer who their sire was. He had been asked, but he could not remember who it was.

Now that he knew, he had a choice to make.

Remain in Creon, ignore everything that Arcee had told him, and continue living the life he had been living before he found everything out.

Or give up this life, take a chance, move his family to Iacon, and meet this family that he could not remember. Give his creations the chance to know their sire, their grand-creators, their aunt, their uncles, and everyone else who had been important to him.

Ratchet set the picture down and turned the light off, lying down on his berth. It was an important decision, and one that he needed to consider carefully. There were too many variables that he had to consider before making his decision.

But in his spark, Ratchet knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to go to Iacon and learn everything that he could. He wanted to meet his family. He wanted to meet the bots who had been so important to his life before everything had changed. He wanted to know these bots.

More than that, he wanted to meet the mech who had considered him worth bonding with. He wanted to meet the Prime and see if he could understand why the Prime would want to bond with him.

Even more so, the medic wanted to give his creations the chance to meet their sire. They deserved to have their sire in their lives. He had been absent for too long as it was, and they deserved to get to know him as Optimus Prime deserved to get to know his creations.

Ratchet rose from his berth and looked out the window at one of Cybertron's moons. He looked at the beauty of the sky. "All right. I'll go. I'll meet these bots. I'll let Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer meet them. It's what I have to do." Ratchet placed a hand over his spark chamber, feeling his spark feel more at ease than it ever had. Ratchet knew that there was something his spark was missing, something that his spark was reaching for. His processors could not remember the mechs and femmes that he had learned about from Arcee, but his spark seemed to. Almost as if deciding to go to Iacon was like going home to his spark.

Perhaps it was. Regardless, he felt at ease with his decision and knew that this was the correct decision for him to make. It may have been the only decision for him to make.

Once more, Ratchet raised his optics to the sky. "I have always prayed that you would give me a sign as to who I was before now, Primus. I have asked to know who my family is, to have the chance to meet them. I've asked who my mate was, I've asked who the sire of my creations are, and I've asked if they would ever meet their sire. Is this you answering my prayer?"

The quiet sky revealed no answers, though there was a shooting a star that seemed to streak across the sky.

Ratchet smiled. "Perhaps I am meant to go to Iacon. Whether or not I am meant to be the Prime's mate now, he deserves to meet his creations. He deserves to know that we are all alive now. He doesn't need to suffer any longer."

Ratchet remained where he was for a few moments longer before turning and heading back over to his berth. He would start making the arrangement to return to Iacon with Arcee the next day. Perhaps they would be able to leave sooner than Arcee wanted.

Ratchet lay back down on his berth and offlined his optics once more. He felt a great deal more at ease having already made his decision to go to Iacon.

Slowly, Ratchet managed to drift off into a dreamless recharge, feeling more at peace than he could ever remember feeling.

* * *

Leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

Love all the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 7

The following morning, Ratchet had risen from his berth before his younglings had come out of recharge. He had made sure that he didn't disturb Hot Rod, who had come into the medic's berth room himself the night before as the medic had thought.

Ratchet had long since learned that his younglings preferred to be close to him when they were ill. It had been a few joor after the medic had fallen into recharge that he had been drawn out by sensing his son near the berth. Ratchet had allowed Hot Rod to join him in the berth. The youngling had recharged curled up against his carrier.

Ratchet had gone downstairs while he allowed his younglings to recharge a while longer before he had to rouse them for school. He probably wouldn't make Hot Rod go since he had a feeling that the mechling would be dealing with the full effects of the virus that cycle. Ratchet grabbed himself a cube of energon before turning the news video feed on in the living room. He sat down and was surprised as he noticed that there was an announcement being broadcast that was from the Prime.

Considering the events of the day before, Ratchet found himself looking at the Prime in a new way. He was still astonished that he had been the Prime's mate. It just didn't make any sense to him that he could have been the Prime's mate.

It stunned the medic to hear the Prime announce that he was dissolving his relationship with Elita-1. The white and orange medic supposed that he shouldn't be that surprised considering the fact that Arcee had told him that the only reason the two had even been together was so that he Senate would leave the Prime alone while he grieved. Perhaps the Prime had decided that it was time to end the charade and move on to someone he could really love. That thought hurt the medic for some reason, though Ratchet wasn't entirely sure why given the fact that Ratchet couldn't remember his time as the Prime's mate.

Ratchet's supposition soon proved to be wrong as the Prime also stated that he had no intention of seeking a new mate. He stated that he was focusing on political at the moment and that he had no intention of seeking anyone new.

Reflecting on what he already knew, Ratchet had a feeling that the Senate wasn't going to be too thrilled with the Prime's statement that he had no intention of seeking anyone new. Ratchet knew the law enough to know that there was no law that stated the Prime **had **to choose a mate. It just suggested that it would be better if the Prime had a mate. It meant that the Senate couldn't legally force the Prime to find a mate, but that didn't mean that the Senate couldn't try to convince the Prime to choose a mate.

A part of Ratchet couldn't help but wonder how the Prime would react when he learned that he was alive. He wasn't sure how that would play out as the Prime had spent an orn believing that Ratchet was dead. It would be hard for the Prime to believe that he was alive.

Of course, that was why Arcee hadn't said a word to anybot back in Iacon about him being alive. She knew that it would be hard for them to believe simply by her word, so Arcee thought that if she showed them Ratchet was alive that it would be much easier for them to believe.

Ratchet logically knew that this was a mech who had extremely high standing in society, so that meant that there was no true reason for the Prime to want anything to do with Ratchet. He was a simply medic who had been living in a small town for the past orn.

But something in Ratchet's spark told him that that wouldn't matter to the Prime. All that would matter was that he was alive.

Ratchet raised his hand and placed it over his spark. He couldn't remember anything about his past, but it seemed that his spark remembered everything. The medic raised his optics to look at the image of the Prime on the video screen. His spark knew this mech. Knew what this mech had once meant to him. And knew what he meant to this mech.

* * *

Arcee sat watching the video feed of the Prime's announcement. She was rather shocked to hear that the Prime and Elita-1 had decided to dissolve their relationship publicly, but the femme supposed that she shouldn't be too surprised. She knew that her commander and the Prime held no romantic feelings for each other. It was really a matter of time before they decided to end things.

Ending it now with that investigation going on was what stunned Arcee the most. She would have thought that the Prime would have waited until the conclusion of the investigation to do so to prevent the Senate from trying to force a femme on him.

In any case, this was big news. The blue and pink femme couldn't help but wonder what Ratchet would think of all this when he heard about it if he hadn't already heard about it.

A large had was placed on Arcee's shoulders. "You know about this?" Bulkhead asked.

"No. I'm not part of Prime's inner circle, Bulk. I only knew about the investigation. This is a surprise to me." Arcee raised a hand to rub it across her face. "Though I must admit that it will make things easier when he learns that Ratchet is alive."

Bulkhead leaned against the couch so that his arms crossed over the back of it as he watched the speech. "Just out of curiosity, do you think he's still going to want the doc?"

"Without a doubt." Arcee was certain of that. "It's more a matter of how he'll react when he finds out I hid everything."

Bulkhead wrapped an arm around the femme. "Don't worry, 'Cee. We'll deal with it together." He was silent a moment. "Think that doc is going to want to meet him?" The green mech had been told by his lover the night before what she had asked Ratchet.

"I don't know, Bulkhead. I hope so. Prime needs to know the truth now, and the only way he or anybot else will believe it is if they can see him." Arcee grew quiet. "I just wish that I had known the truth back then so that I could have gotten them to Tarn when he was there and let them help him. Even if he had amnesia, at least they would know he was alive." Arcee sighed. "And Prime wouldn't have had to miss so much of Hot Rod and Lightshow's lives."

Bulkhead walked around and sat down beside Arcee. "What's done is done, 'Cee. You can't change that. All we can do is let them know the truth now. At least Prime could stop grieving over Ratchet's loss, and he could know that his creations were still alive."

Arcee nodded before looking over at Bulkhead. "I'm actually surprised that you're not angrier at me than you are. I mean, I hid a lot of things from over this last vorn, and we promised not keep secrets. Besides, I hid things from Ratchet that he should have known."

"Truth is I'm more than a little upset, 'Cee. You should have trusted me with it, but I do understand why you didn't tell me. I'm just glad that nothing happened to doc." Bulkhead shook his helm. "'Sides, if doc can let bygones be bygones, then so can I. He has more reason than anybot besides Prime and the doc's family to be pissed at you."

"I suppose so." Arcee agreed.

Bulkhead checked his chronometer before standing up. "Well, I've got to head off to work. Doc's off today if you want to go over there. He'll probably keep Hot Rod out of school today."

"Okay, Bulk. I'll see you when you get off work." Arcee replied.

The large construction mech leaned down and gave Arcee a kiss before he left to head off to work.

Arcee sat back and turned her optics back to the news broadcast of the Prime's announcement. She wondered if the investigation had concluded already. She knew that Shadowstrike would try to get out of it, and the blue and pink femme knew that Shadowstrike would use her sire's position to do it.

Of course, Arcee also knew that the Prime feared no bot, so she knew that her threats would be empty to him, especially considering the fact that it was very hard for the Senate interfere with military affairs. In fact, Arcee was fairly certain that Shadowstrike would get what she deserved, which would ultimately be an attempt on Prime's mate since Ratchet was actually alive.

Arcee sighed. She would have a lot of explaining to do to the Prime once he found out everything. That was not going to be fun on any level.

* * *

Optimus leaned back in his chair. The announcement had gone smoothly enough, and he hadn't been surprised by the reporters' questions about whether or not he intended to choose a new mate. That was a question that the Prime had expected, and he had chosen to answer honestly. He had no intention of seeking a new mate as his spark could not handle it. The Prime's spark still and would always belong to Ratchet, even if the medic had been gone for so long.

Already, the Prime had received numerous messages from different senators. The Prime had read the first few only to find that they were protests to the Prime's decision to not choose a new mate as well as a few senators suggesting femmes who would make a suitable mate for him. Optimus had started simply ignoring those messages as he had no intention of going through with them.

"Quite a shocking announcement."

Optimus looked up to see that Megatron and Galvatron were standing in the doorway of his office. "Yes. I'm certain that it's something that none of them expected, but it's not like I intended to keep that charade up forever. It was going to end, and I just felt that now was the right time."

"As long as the Senate doesn't try to roughshod you into mating with some femme they think is suitable, I think it's a good move." Megatron stated as the twins moved into the office.

Optimus sighed. "The Senate members have already been sending me messages from protesting my decision not to choose a new mate-"

"To suggesting various femmes whom they believe would make good mates with most of those femmes being daughters of different senators." Galvatron finished.

"Exactly." Optimus answered.

"How do you think the Senate will react to Grindor's news?" Megatron asked.

"Not well. I expect my announcement that Elita and I are dissolving our relationship will fade into the background when they learn that Shadowstrike has been arrested for treason in Ratchet's assassination as well as for attacking a superior officer." Optimus answered.

"Serves her right." Galvatron muttered, angry at what she thought she could get away with doing.

"Regardless, we are going to have a fight on our hands." Optimus stated.

"Then we had better get ready for it." Megatron stated. He knew just how hard it could be to deal with the Senate, and he knew that they would not take this quietly, certainly not Redwing.

"When will you have to deal with that?" Galvatron asked.

"As soon as Grindor tells the Senate, I'm certain that their protests are going to start. First, they'll protest the investigation in the first place by citing the fact that they had an investigation that cleared the team an orn ago. Second, they'll protest the fact that Jazz headed the investigation. Third, they'll protest the fact that they were not informed of the investigation to start with. And that's only a few of the things that they may protest." Optimus stated.

"Sounds like you two are in for it." Galvatron stated.

"Not like Shadowstrike is." Optimus muttered.

Megatron and Galvatron shared a look.

:You know, I never thought I'd hear out little brother admit that he would want somebot to die.: Galvatron stated.

:Agreed. Then again, we're talking about the femme who killed his mate and his sparklings, so I can't say I blame him. In fact, I admire his restraint. I would have already killed that blasted glitch if it had been my family she destroyed.: Megatron replied.

:Something tells me that Shadowstrike is about to find out what happens to those that think they can mess with Orion and his family and get away with it.: Galvatron stated.

Megatron agreed with his whole spark.

* * *

Arcee had gone over to Ratchet's home when she thought that he would have gotten Lightshow and Springer to school and gotten back home. She found Ratchet in the living room looking through some datapads while Hot Rod was curled up against Ratchet's side, in recharge. "Is he still not feeling well?" Arcee asked softly.

"No. He started purging a short while ago. All that can really be done is allow the virus to run its course." Ratchet answered, glancing down at his recharging son.

Arcee nodded as she sat down on the other couch across from Ratchet. "Have you considered what I discussed with you last night?"

Ratchet set the datapad down on the table before turning his attention to Arcee. "Yes, I have considered what you suggested." The orange and white mech released a sigh. "I have to admit that I'm uneasy and unsure about a lot of this. You've told me things about myself that I myself do not know."

"I know, and I'm sorry." Arcee wasn't sure what she could say or do to make things up to Ratchet, but if he told her what she could do, she would do it.

Ratchet smiled. "There is no need for further apologies, Arcee. I know why you did what you did. I do wish you had told me sooner, but I understand why." He glanced down at Hot Rod once more. "You gave the three of us a chance to live that we would not have had without you. For that, I am thankful to you and will always be so."

Arcee felt her cheek plates heat up at that. "You don't need to thank me, Ratchet. I did what I thought was right." And those actions turned out to be the right ones to take, Arcee mused, when she considered the fact that she could alleviate her Prime's pain with one action.

"Regardless, I will always be grateful to you for what you've done." Ratchet leaned back into the seat. "As far as going to Iacon-"

"Take all the time you need to decide." Arcee told him.

"No need. I made my decision last night. It turned out to be a rather easy decision. All I need is time to get my affairs in order here before we leave." Ratchet told her.

Arcee felt surprised and her expression showed it.

"Arcee, I do not remember those bots you have told me about. Optimus Prime I know only through news reports. The same goes for the High Lord Protector Megatron, his mate and the Air Commander Starscream, Galvatron the military commander, and Elita-1 commander of the femmes. I know of their reputations only, not the bots beneath the surface. I know that I knew them as such at one time. However, I cannot avoid the fact that these bots were once more to me. I have no fear that you lied to me. You would gain nothing from lying about this." Ratchet unconsciously slipped an arm around Hot Rod. "And I have long wished to tell Lightshow and Hot Rod who their sire is. They have asked on more than one occasion, and my greatest regret is that I cannot tell them who that is." Ratchet smiled. "I have the chance to give them exactly what they've wanted. I have no right to deny them that any longer, and I have no right to deny Optimus Prime nor my family the knowledge that I am alive nor do I have the right to deny Optimus Prime the opportunity to meet and get to know his younglings." Ratchet chuckled. "It was a remarkably easy choice to make."

"So, you'll return to Iacon with me?" Arcee wanted to make sure that she was understanding Ratchet correctly, although she was fairly certain that she had.

"Yes, I will. I will need to get things in order here before I leave, but I will go with you." Ratchet frowned. "My only concern is Springer. I have raised him as if he were my own, and I have raised him under the belief that Hot Rod and Lightshow are his siblings and I am his carrier. I am just worried about how Prime will react to Springer."

Arcee smiled. "I'm certain Prime will have no problem looking at Springer as his own. He did so with Prowl and Smokescreen." Arcee chose not to mention the fact that she had heard rumors that the Prime had never managed to deny his mate anything, which meant that there was an even higher chance that he would not deny Ratchet this considering the fact that the Prime had lived under the belief that Ratchet had been dead for an orn.

"Regardless, I just worry about Springer." Ratchet sighed. "I also don't know what to say to them about why we're going to Iacon."

"Don't tell them why. Just tell them we're having to go to Iacon. You can tell them why later." Arcee told him.

"Hmm. I may do that." Ratchet agreed.

Arcee was glad that Ratchet agreed to go back with her. Now to find out just how much slag she was in for keeping this as secret for so long. She imagined that Lieutenant Jazz along with Commander Elita were going to have quite a few things to say to her. And they weren't even the ones she was worried about. Prime, Prowl, Megatron, and Galvatron scared her more than the first two.

* * *

Elita had been nervous about telling her family everything that had been learned, but she knew that they needed to know the truth. They needed to know what had really happened back then. They deserved to know just as Optimus did.

As per Elita's request, Starlight, Swiftwind, Wheeljack, and Skyfire had gathered together in Starlight and Swiftwind's quarters. Skyfire had left Jetfire and Jetstorm in the care of Skywarp and Thundercracker as the two Seekers had been begging to watch them for quite some time.

"All right, Elita. We're all here. Now why are we here?" Swiftwind asked.

Elita sighed. "Okay." She looked at her carrier. "I know that you weren't there when Jazz told all of us what he found in the Hall of Records about what happened to Ratchet, so-"

Starlight raised her hand. "Swiftwind told me what was found, Elita." It broke her spark to know that fellow Cybertronians may have been responsible for her son's death. "Go on."

Elita vented deeply before telling them everything that Jazz had learned in the course of his investigation.

"You're telling me," Swiftwind growled in a way that reminded Elita of Ratchet when he was royally pissed off, "that this femme decided to kill Ratchet simply because she thought she was a better suited mate for the Prime."

"Yes, Sire." Elita answered.

"That slagging glitch! Who does she think she is! That was never her decision to make!"Wheeljack snarled, pure rage rising through him at the knowledge that his brother would have still been alive if it hadn't for her.

Starlight's frame shook as her hands covered her mouth, not doing anything to stifle the sob that rose in her vocalizers as energon tears fell down her cheeks.

Swiftwind reached over and wrapped his arms around his mate, forgetting his anger for a moment in exchange for concerning himself with his mate's well-being. Starlight turned to bury her faceplates into her mate's chest.

Skyfire looked at Elita. "What is being done about it?"

"Shadowstrike and Windstreak are being held in the military prisons on charges of treason and the assassination of the Prime's consort." Elita sighed. "It will be a fight with the Senate, all things considered."

"Will they get away with it?" Swiftwind asked, his voice strained.

"Not if Optimus has anything to say about it." Elita sat down by her brother. "And believe me, he's plenty angry at them. Plus, we have Grindor on our side, which will help. Grindor has a great many supporters in the Senate as does Optimus. Those supporters will give us the edge we need to deal with those who will oppose this investigation."

Wheeljack shook his helm. "If they don't so something about them, I will."

"No." Starlight turned to look at her son. "I've already lost one creation. I won't lose another, Wheeljack."

"Carrier, I-" Wheeljack started.

"No, 'Jack. They won't get away with it." Elita grimaced. "Truthfully, I honestly believe that Optimus will make sure that they pay for what they have done. One way or another."

The meaning behind those words were clear.

"What of the other three on the mission?" Swiftwind asked.

"Arcee, Metallica, and Firestar honestly believed that they were acting under orders to kill Ratchet. They had no way of knowing that what was done was treachery." Elita rubbed her faceplates. "I've never had trouble with those three. I honestly think that they are innocent of any wrong-doing in Ratchet's death. They were following orders of two superior officers."

"Then those three should not pay for the actions the other two have taken." Swiftwind stated.

"Optimus won't punish those who don't deserve it. He will make sure the others pay for the part they played in this." Elita answered.

"All right. As long as they aren't allowed to get away with it. They've been walking around free with our brother's energon on their hands for far too long." Wheeljack growled.

Skyfire could feel the pain, grief, and anger that plagued his mate, so he reached out and wrapped his arms around his mate to try to calm him down.

"They won't get away with it, Wheeljack." Elita herself wanted Shadowstrike and Windstreak to pay for what they had done to her brother, and she knew that they would get what was coming to them. Somehow.

* * *

As Optimus had expected, the Senate had quickly forgotten about the fact that the Prime had announced that he was dissolving his relationship with Elita and was not going to choose a new mate the moment that they heard about the developments in the case regarding Jazz's investigation.

An immediate outrage over the fact that Shadowstrike and Windstreak had both been arrested on charges that they assassinated Ratchet, and Shadowstrike had the additional charge of attacking a superior officer on her.

Which brought the Prime to where he, Megatron, Grindor, and Elita were now. Dealing with Redwing and his demands.

"You have no right to hold them, Prime! They have done nothing wrong! That entire investigation was done and completed at the time it happened! They did nothing wrong!" Redwing insisted, his voice rising with each statement.

Optimus barely kept his temper in check. "Redwing, I would ask that you stop yelling. It will get you nowhere with me."

Redwing barely bit back his angered retort, but he did do. He knew that it would not help his cause to insult the Prime in front of the head of the Senate. "Prime, I conducted that investigation myself. It was done right."

"I disagree, Redwing." Grindor decided that he needed to put an end to this right here and now. "I looked at that entire investigation, and as far as you recorded, you spoke only to Shadowstrike, you did not interview the remaining four members of the team, and you only noted what was written in the report."

"There was no need-" Redwing began.

"You did not take into consideration the fact that Prime's bond with his mate did not break for two more cycles. A fact that meant Ratchet still lived. Shadowstrike stated in her report that Consort Ratchet had died immediately, yet he did not. There's also the fact that only Shadowstrike and Windstreak even wrote reports on top of the fact that those reports were word for word the time. All issues you should have noticed and questioned back then instead of now." Grindor told him.

Redwing tried to think of an excuse.

"We are already aware of the fact that you and Quickstrike have been strong political allies for quite some time, and it is common knowledge that Shadowstrike is Quickstrike's daughter. It was a major conflict of interest for you to conduct that investigation." Grindor stated.

"I conducted the investigation professionally!" Redwing retorted.

"Then why were the issues that Redwing mentioned never addressed by your investigation? Those questions should have been answered an orn ago when the original investigation took place instead of now." Megatron pointed out.

Redwing had no answer, but he had a protest. "Lieutenant Jazz is Ratchet's son's mate. He also bore a conflict of interest."

"Lieutenant Jazz was the one who discovered the questions that had been left unanswered in the first place. I was the one who recommended that Lieutenant Jazz head up the investigation, as I said in the Senate meeting." Grindor answered.

"There is still no hard evidence that Shadowstrike and Windstreak did any of this. Those other three could be lying." Redwing insisted.

Quickstrike had been in the room as well, and he had been quiet. He had considered all that he heard and while he did not believe that his daughter was capable of such, he knew that they felt she was guilty. "Has Shadowstrike admitted anything?"

"No. She refuses to speak on the matter now. Windstreak did admit to everything, including her part in it." Elita answered, containing her anger for the time being.

"Were the other three members of the team in on it as well?" Quickstrike needed to know.

"Windstreak admitted that they were under the impression there had been a true change in orders." Megatron replied.

Quickstrike nodded. He still believed in his daughter's innocence. He did not believe her capable of such acts, but he could not single-handedly stop this. "Very well. Redwing, we should leave."

Redwing could hardly believed that Quickstrike was so willing to let this go, but withheld questioning his ally before following him out.

"I'm amazed Quickstrike believes us." Elita remarked.

"He doesn't." Grindor replied.

All optics ended up on Grindor.

"Quickstrike believes in his daughter's innocence. He does not believe her capable of such acts." Grindor sighed. "Shadowstrike is an only creation, and I have heard that Quickstrike and his mate gave into her every wish. Shadowstrike had gotten everything she ever wanted, so I fear she holds the belief she can have whatever she wants by any means necessary."

"Including me." Optimus didn't bother hiding the anger in his voice.

"Indeed. However, while Quickstrike believes in his daughter's innocence, he also believes in the law. He would never operate outside of the law for any reason, which is why I have no doubt that he had no knowledge of the plot to end Ratchet's life." Grindor stated.

Megatron looked at the head of the Senate. "Do you believe Redwing would?"

"When I tightened the hold on what the Senate could do and made sure illegal acts were stopped as much as possible, Redwing was one of the ones I discovered operated illegally the most. I am not sure if he would elevate to murder, but I would not cross it off the list yet. He may have had knowledge of it." Grindor explained.

"That would explain it." Optimus stated.

All optics ended up on the Prime.

"Meaning what?" Megatron asked.

Optimus held up a datapad. "This. A report from Galvatron about Shadowstrike and Windstreak. Windstreak has not been a problem, but Shadowstrike has. She is demanding to be released, but more than that, she is demanding to see Redwing."

"Not her sire?" Grindor asked.

"No. She hadn't mentioned her sire at all since she was imprisoned. She has only asked to see Redwing, which raises a red flag with me. Why not her sire who would have more reason to help her?" Optimus stated.

"I believe Redwing bears watching." Grindor stated.

"Jazz felt the same way when I mentioned it a short while ago. He told me he has his own personal spy within the high ranks of the upper class. He informed me that this was a reliable source who wasn't as close-processored as others in the class are. He trusts this bot." Optimus stated.

"Any idea who it is?" Elita asked.

"No. Jazz wanted to protect his identity to prevent anybot in the high class from learning of this." Optimus replied.

"Let us hope Jazz's contact is reliable." Grindor stated.

"Agreed." Optimus hoped that this was a reliable bot, but he trusted Jazz, and he knew that Jazz wanted justice almost as much as he did.

* * *

Redwing had gone to see Shadowstrike without Quickstrike knowing. He hated lying to his ally, but he couldn't risk Quickstrike learning anything. After all, Redwing knew without a doubt that Quickstrike would turn him over to Prime if he suspected anything. The law-abiding fool. Didn't he realize you had to do some things outside the law to get anything done?

Shadowstrike glanced up from her place on the berth in the cell when she heard pede steps. Upon seeing Redwing, she scowled. "What the slag took you so long! I've been trapped down here for four cycles!" As she spoke, the black femme had stood and crossed the cell to the stasis energy bars that served to keep her inside the cell.

"Lower your voice." Redwing hissed. He glared at her. "You'll get us both caught."

"What do I have to lose! They know! They know everything!" Shadowstrike growled. She glared. "Except for your part in it!"

"Shut up! No bot knows about that and no bot needs to know!" Redwing growled.

"If you don't want me to tell Prime the entire truth and tell him that is was **YOUR **idea to kill his blasted mate, then you'll find a way to get me out of here!" Shadowstrike stated.

"All they have is Windstreak's word against yours. The other three won't hold up against the word of a senator's daughter." Redwing told her.

"You don't know that! And this is Prime we're talking about! He's not letting it go! And then there's the lieutenant." Shadowstrike snapped angrily.

"That I don't think I can get you of. You attacked a superior officer. And it was caught on tape without any real provocation. I can't help with that. I can try to rally other senators to call for your release and a dismissal of the results of the investigation." Redwing knew that the chances that he would actually manage that were slim, but he wasn't about to go down with Shadowstrike, so he would think of something.

"Just get me out of here." Shadowstrike told him. She didn't intend to remain here for that long.

"I'll do what I can. The problem is that Grindor is behind Prime on this, which means that all of Grindor's supporters will be behind Prime as well." Redwing said.

"You and Sire have supporters, too." Shadowstrike retorted.

"Yes, but the problem is that your sire believes in the law and doesn't believe in doing anything underhanded. I'm going to have to do this without his knowledge, so it'll take time, but I'll manage it." Redwing replied.

"Fine. Just hurry." Shadowstrike griped.

Redwing nodded and left quickly.

Shadowstrike went and sat back down. She hated that her sire went by the letter of the law, which meant that they couldn't let him know about the plan. He would have went against it and informed Prime. It would have ruined all of Shadowstrike's plans.

Shadowstrike released a growl as she realized that all her plans had been ruined by Elita-1. If it hadn't been for her, Shadowstrike was certain that Redwing would have managed to convince Prime to bond with her while he was weakened in his grief. Then she could have had everything she wanted, and she would have made sure that the Prime forgot entirely about that worthless mech Ratchet!

All of it ruined because of Elita-1!

Shadowstrike swore that when she got out of there, and she knew that Redwing would get her out, legally or illegally one, Elita-1 was going to pay for her transgressions. No one messed up Shadowstrike's plans and got away with it.

* * *

Jazz sat at his desk in his office as he thought about everything he had uncovered. He had no doubt in his processors that Firestar, Metallica, Arcee, and Windstreak were all telling the truth in what happened. Shadowstrike was the one killed Ratchet, Windstreak supported her claim that they had been issued a change in orders, and the other three were under the impression everything done was by orders.

However, something about his interview with Arcee had just left a nagging feeling in his processors that the femme had hidden something.

Jazz wasn't sure what it was that Arcee hadn't told him, and there was no actual proof that she hadn't told him something. But it was a feeling that he had deep in his tanks that told him there was more to this than she let on. And the saboteur had learned to never ignore that feeling.

So, Jazz commed Optimus and asked if the Prime could a spare a few moments of his time to talk with him. The saboteur was glad when Optimus sent him an affirmative message. He then got up and headed from the Iacon base back to the Prime's palace to meet with Optimus.

The moment Jazz entered the office, Optimus pushed the datapads that were stacked in front of him to the side and gestured for Jazz to sit down. "What can I do for you, Jazz?"

"I know that you want all of the femmes who were on that mission to undergo processor exams to find out what really happened out there. Granted, we already know, but that's beside the point. My question is how soon are they to be done?" Jazz asked.

"As soon as possible. Elita has already ordered Firestar and Metallica here to have them undergo them. Windstreak has already been informed that she is to undergo a necessary processor exam. She was obviously not happy with it, but she did not protest it, either. Shadowstrike will be the last one to undergo the exams. I want to know the facts from the memory banks of the other four before we consider her. Not to mention that will be a fight in itself." Optimus stated. He then frowned. "Why do you ask?"

Jazz sighed. "Because I want to do a follow-up interview with Arcee."

Optimus looked surprised by that. "Why? You yourself stated that Arcee's account of what happened that day reflected the accounts given by Firestar and Metallica save for the fact that Arcee did not discuss the fact that Windstreak had been involved, although that could have simply been the fact that Arcee was scared and overwhelmed. "

"I know that, Prime. I'll admit that I don't have any solid proof that Arcee was hidin' anything. It's just had-" Jazz started.

"A feeling." Optimus finished. He released a vent of air. He had been subjected to quite a few of Jazz's feelings over the vorns that he had known the black and white saboteur. And he had to admit that more often than not, those feelings of Jazz's ended up being right. "So, you just want to ask her if there was anything she neglected to mention the first time?"

"Sort of." Jazz rubbed his helm. "You see, I honestly think she's a good and honest femme, Prime. I honestly believe that. I also believe that she didn't tell anybot anything about what happened an orn ago because she honestly thought they were under orders. If there is something that she has not told us, I would like to give her a chance to tell us before the processor exam."

Optimus considered that a moment before he decided that there was no harm in it. "All right, Jazz. As soon as Arcee returns from leave, you may question her. But don't tell her about the processor exam at first. See if she will tell you without that kind of motivation."

"Sure thing. Thanks, Prime." Jazz stated as he stood up.

"Jazz, if it hadn't been for you, I might never have learned what really happened to Ratchet. I should be the one thanking you." Optimus told him.

Jazz smiled at the Prime. "No. You shouldn't. The truth needs to be made known, not just to us, but to all of Cybertron. They need to know what really happened as well. Can't live in lies. Ratchet deserves that kind of justice."

"I know." Optimus agreed.

"So, no thanks are necessary. I'll talk to Elita and ask her to have Arcee report to me as soon as Arcee returns." Jazz told him.

"All right, Jazz. Be sure to keep me updated on what you find out." Optimus told him.

"Not a problem. As soon as I know something, you'll know something." Jazz replied.

Optimus nodded in agreement, and Jazz left the office.

* * *

"Are you sure about this, doc? I mean, this is a major change for you. And how are Springer, Hot Rod, and Lightshow going to react to this?" Breakdown asked. He wasn't sure how he felt about Ratchet's decision to go to Iacon with Arcee.

"I know that this is sudden, Breakdown, but this is what I need to do." Ratchet then glanced over at where Lightshow, Springer, and a recovering Hot Rod were playing together. "I've always regretted not knowing and being able to tell them who their sire is. They want to know about him and this is their chance."

"Creon won't be the same without you." Knock Out smirked. "What are we going to do without our foul-tempered, wrench-wielding medic who has a sniper's aim?"

Ratchet laughed. "I'm sure that you'll manage, Knock Out. Pliers is an excellent assistant, and he will make an excellent medic once he is fully trained. You two will manage well."

"I'm sure you're right." Knock Out took a sip of energon. "I am a very good medic."

"In any case, I've decided that I'm going with you." Bulkhead stated.

Ratchet and Arcee both looked at Bulkhead in shock.

"Bulk, are you sure?" Arcee asked.

"Hey." Bulkhead gestured to the three younglings. "Where they go, I go. I don't care if this is Prime we're talking about. I'm not chancing my siblings getting hurt."

"I really don't think that is necessary, Bulkhead. I do not think that we would be in any danger from Prime." Ratchet told him.

"It's not Prime I'm worried about. It's those that tried to kill you before." Bulkhead shrugged. "I may not be a trained warrior or enforcer, but I do know how to fight. And I protect my family."

Ratchet sighed. "What did Hammerhead say?" He was referring to Bulkhead's boss.

"Hammerhead had no problem with it." Bulkhead replied.

Arcee wasn't surprised. She knew how important Ratchet was to the town, and she knew that a majority of the mechs and femmes in the town knew what had happened in the past. They were also protective of Ratchet since the town loathed any harming of a sparkling, youngling, their carrier, or a sparked bot. Meaning the attack on Ratchet had pissed them all off, and it meant that Hammerhead would willingly allow Bulkhead to have time off to go with them.

"Very well. I can't blame you for veering on the side of caution." Ratchet stated.

Breakdown looked at his siblings. "What are you telling them?"

"That we need to go to Iacon because I have some business to take care of. Which is true." Ratchet sighed. "Although I don't want them to know the purpose just yet. Not until I see their reaction."

"Understandable. No telling how Prime will react to the fact that you are alive. Or your entire family for that matter." Knock Out stated.

Ratchet nodded his helm. "I know. That's why I think that it's best that they don't know everything just yet. I'll tell them after that."

"Well, just take care of yourselves. Because if anything happens, I'm coming to Iacon to find out what happened." Breakdown said.

"We'll be fine." Bulkhead slammed his fist into his hand. "I ain't no warrior, but being a construction mech'll work in my favor."

Breakdown smirked. "True enough."

Ratchet smiled, thankful that these mechs were a part of his family. And not for the first time, either.

* * *

Starlight lay on the berth she shared with her mate. Her spark ached from what her daughter had revealed to her earlier that cycle. Losing her son had been bad enough, but learning that her son had been killed because of a jealous femme's desire to become Optimus's new mate was spark-wrenching.

Her son should be alive, slag it!

Starlight curled into a ball as she released a sob, grieving once more for her lost son. It hurt worse knowing that Ratchet and her grand-creations would have still been alive had it not been for Shadowstrike's insane jealousy. It just wasn't fair!

Arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled Starlight back against a larger frame.

Swiftwind hated to see his mate so upset, but he himself wasn't faring much better. It took every ounce of self-control that Swiftwind had not to get his hands on Shadowstrike and kill her himself. He had warned Nemesis Prime to watch him as he wasn't sure what he would end up doing in his anger. It angered him to know that his son would have still been alive.

But Swiftwind couldn't focus on his own pain, his own grief, his own anger at the moment. He was more concerned about his mate, who was obviously in extreme turmoil over what had happened to their son.

Starlight turned in her mate's arms to bury her face in his chest, sobbing as she held on tightly to him. "It's not fair, Swiftwind. He should have still been here with is. They all should have still been here with us."

"I know." Swiftwind hated that all he could do was hold her and offer comfort through their bond, though it was near impossible to be comforting when his own spark was in turmoil over what they knew.

"That femme didn't care about the lives she ruined! So many bots were hurt by Ratchet's death, but all she cared about was what she wanted! Not-not the pain she would inflict on others." Starlight choked back another sob that threatened to escape.

Swiftwind leaned back as he held his mate. "I know, Starlight. And I know Optimus, and he won't allow Shadowstrike to get away with what she has done. He's going to ensure that she pays for this." He was glad that the law stipulated that any attempt on the life of the Prime, High Lord Protector, or their mates was a death sentence. Since Ratchet didn't survive, it would still be a death sentence. Swiftwind was glad that Shadowstrike would be forced to pay for her crimes. As far as he was concerned, she had been allowed to get away with it for far too long. It was about time that she paid for her crimes.

* * *

Ratchet was alone in his home with his younglings once more. He had been so used to raising them alone that it would be odd for Ratchet to work with the Prime to raise them. If the Prime wanted anything to do with them. Ratchet couldn't deny that there was a chance that the Prime might not want anything to do with any of them.

Of course, Ratchet's spark argued with his processors on this matter as his spark seemed to think that the Prime was going to be thrilled to see all of them. And his spark also told him that he wouldn't be raising them alone any longer.

Ratchet released a sigh before making a decision. "Springer. Lightshow. Hot Rod." He walked into the living room where the three younglings were playing.

All three turned to look at their carrier.

"What is it, Carrier?" Springer asked.

"Come here." Ratchet told them as he sat down on the couch.

All three younglings stood up and ran over to their carrier before climbing up onto the couch with him. Hot Rod ended up in Ratchet's lap while Lightshow and Springer were cuddled close to Ratchet's sides.

"What is it, Carrier?" Lightshow asked.

"You three know how Arcee is in Iacon when she's not here with us?" Ratchet asked.

All three nodded.

"Arcee said that Iacon is a big city. She told us that there's all sorts of things that we can do there." Springer stated with a smile.

"She said that it's a lot bigger than Creon. More crowded, too." Lightshow added.

Ratchet chuckled. "Yes, well, that it true. However, I ask because we are going to Iacon."

"We are!" all three sparklings exclaimed, excitement in their optics.

Ratchet smiled. "Yes. We are. There are some things that have come up that I need to take care of in Iacon, so we will be returning with Arcee when she goes back to Iacon. And Bulkhead has decided to come with us as well."

"Cool! We're going to get to see the big city!" Springer shouted, happy.

"Lower your voice, Springer. You do not need to shout like that when we are indoors." Ratchet scolded.

Springer looked sheepish. "Sorry, Carrier."

"And yes, you will see the city, but you are not going anywhere without Arcee, Bulkhead, or myself. Understood?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes, Carrier." all three younglings chorused.

"Good. Now, you only have a joor before you need to go to berth, so go play." Ratchet told them.

All three younglings went to do as told.

Ratchet smiled at them. He was glad that they seemed so excited, but he was quite certain that they would be even more excited to find out that they were going to finally meet their sire.

Ratchet just hoped that everything worked out the way Arcee, and his own spark, seemed to think it would.

* * *

Let me know what you thought!


	8. Chapter 8

Love all the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 8

Arcee had thought about it and decided that it might be a good idea for them to get back to Iacon a few cycles before she was due back from leave. She thought that it would be easier if they could deal with letting the Prime and the rest of Ratchet's family and friends know that Ratchet and the younglings were alive. She had a feeling she was going to be in a heap of trouble, but she was willing to accept the consequences for her actions. At this moment, all Arcee wanted to do was let the Prime know that his mate and his creations were alive so that the Prime would not be so grieved and pained any longer. She didn't think it was right to make him suffer anymore than he already had.

Ratchet had agreed with her that arriving in Iacon a few days earlier would be a good idea. The medic wanted to end the Prime's pain as well as the pain his family was in as soon as possible. They didn't need to suffer any longer. Ratchet had gotten all his affairs in order and had taken care of everything that needed to be taken care of before he left. He had left the care of his home to Sidetrack, a good friend of his.

Bulkhead himself had gotten his affairs in order for him to be able to go to Iacon with Arcee and Ratchet. He just wanted to be there for Ratchet and his siblings should they need him for any reason. The construction mech hoped that he wasn't needed for any reason, but he figured there was no harm in him going. Just in case.

Ratchet, Arcee, and Bulkhead had met up at Ratchet's home the morning that they had chosen to leave. The sun had yet to rise, which showed how early of a start they had chosen to get.

Breakdown and Knock Out had come to see them off before the two headed to their separate jobs.

"You take care of yourselves. I'd hate to have to come to Iacon for the sole reason of repairing you." Knock Out stated.

"We'll be fine, Knock Out." Ratchet assured him, shifting Hot Rod in his arms.

Lightshow, Hot Rod, and Springer were all still in recharge.

"If you find you need any help, just let us know and we'll be down there kicking some aft." Breakdown added.

"Like we'd need the help with me there." Bulkhead retorted.

"That's why we'd be needed. No chance that you'd be able to deal with something like that on your own." Breakdown shot back.

"Okay!" Arcee decided to stop this before their taunting match because a brawl between the two brothers. "We should get going. We can be in Iacon late tomorrow if we leave now."

Ratchet nodded before he transformed along with Arcee and Bulkhead. Knock Out and Breakdown then placed the three younglings inside of Ratchet's vehicle mode before the three bots headed out.

"Think they'll be okay?" Breakdown asked as he wrapped an arm around Knock Out's waist.

"I think so." Knock Out laughed. "Give Ratchet a weapon, and they'll be fine. If he has that good of aim with a wrench, imagine what he could do with a blaster."

"There's a scary thought." Breakdown muttered.

"Yes, and one I pray I never see. Ratchet's aim with a wrench is bad enough. His aim with a blaster would be a catastrophe." Knock Out stated.

"No bot would dare piss him off. You've got to admit that." Breakdown stated.

"True." Knock Out glanced at him. "Although considering the fact that he perfected his aim on you and Bulkhead, you two would be one of the first ones that would taste his aim with the blaster."

Breakdown hadn't thought of that. It really was a scary thought when he really thought about it.

* * *

Bluestreak released a bit of a depressed sigh. He had been kept up-to-date on everything that went on with the investigation into his grand-carrier's death, and it ached his spark to know that one of his own people had been the one to end his grand-carrier's life. It ached the grey mech to know that his carrier had been taken from them all because of the insane jealousy that one femme had. It wasn't right.

The only thing that Bluestreak could be thankful for was the fact that he knew his grand-sire was not about to let anybot get away with Ratchet's death, certainly not the femme for the reasons she had done so. He knew that she would be made to pay for her crimes.

The grey Praxian supposed another reason he was so upset about the fact that Shadowstrike had been the reason that Ratchet had died was because it meant he would have still had his grand-carrier with him. Bluestreak had had a habit of going to Ratchet for advice with any problems that he had. He also liked to just talk with his grand-carrier at times. It was those times that had been taken from him, and it upset the Praxian.

On top of that, Bluestreak had recently agreed to bond with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They had been in the midst of planning the bonding celebration when the news of the real cause of Ratchet's death had come up. The grey Praxian had asked his lovers to put it off until after the investigation was over. Bluestreak didn't want anything clouding their bonding celebration, and he knew that learning the truth after they had bonded would have put a damper on their first days as bondmates.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker had understood why Bluestreak wanted to put it off and readily agreed. They also didn't want something like that to darken their bonding. Despite the pain and grief learning the truth would bring, the two knew that their bonding celebration would give everyone they cared about something to look forward to after all this pain had been brought back up.

Bluestreak sat in the small crystal garden that had been set up and cultivated inside the gates of the Prime's palace. It was something that Ratchet had requested to be set up. The gardens had grown to be very beautiful, and they were a place that many of the bots who lived and worked in the palace loved to see.

Bluestreak could remember spending a great deal of time with his grand-carrier in these gardens. It was a place that Ratchet would like to sit and read when he had the spare time. It was also the place where Bluestreak and Ratchet had a great many of their talks. He missed his grand-carrier so much.

The more Bluestreak thought about his lost grand-carrier, the more grieved his spark became. He missed Ratchet so much, and he didn't know how to let go of that pain. Especially knowing that his death could have been avoided had Shadowstrike not given in to her jealousy. His grand-carrier would have still been alive and would have been able to attend the bonding celebration himself. A tear escaped the Praxian's optic, sliding down his cheek only to be brushed away by a hand. Bluestreak looked up to find himself facing Jazz. "Carrier? What are you doing here?"

Jazz smiled at Bluestreak before sitting down beside him. "Could feel your pain through the bond, Sweetspark. Thought I should come and check on you."

"Oh." Bluestreak looked a bit embarrassed. "I was just thinking about grand-carrier."

Jazz smiled at his son. "We've all been doin' that a lot lately." Jazz looked around at the crystal gardens. "Ratchet insisted that these gardens be set up." He chuckled. "And Optimus could never say no to Ratchet in anything. He immediately had it done. Ratchet would have loved how beautiful they've gotten in the last orn."

"Yeah. He would have." Bluestreak smiled. "We used to have a lot of our talks here. This was usually the first place I looked unless it was raining because this was where he was if he wasn't working."

"Yeah. He loved these gardens." Jazz smirked. "Wouldn't be surprised if Prime and the doc 'faced out here?"

"Carrier!" Bluestreak was horrified.

Jazz loved tormenting his creation. "The twins might have been conceived here."

Bluestreak covered his audios. "Stop it! I don't want to know! I don't want to know!"

Jazz laughed. "Sorry, Blue." He sighed. "Ratchet did love these gardens. There were workers to take care of them, but he'd be out here helpin' with it when he had tha time. Irked some bots since the mate of the Prime shouldn't be doin' such work, but the doc loved it and didn't care what others thought he should do and just did what he wanted to do."

"Those same bots thought being a medic was beneath the mate of a Prime as well." Bluestreak said.

"Yeah, but the doc was one of the best slagging medics there was. Ain't no bot that could deny that one." Jazz stated.

"He was." Bluestreak released a sigh. "I miss him."

Jazz reached over and wrapped an arm around his creation before pulling the grey Praxian close to him. "I know, Blue. We all do."

Bluestreak snuggled up to his carrier. "As much as I want to bond with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker-"

"We all know why you put it off, Blue, and we all understand." Jazz told him.

"I know, but it's not that. I guess I just wish that grand-carrier could have been there at the bonding celebration. Whenever I imagined my bonding celebration, I always imagined that he would be there." Bluestreak stated.

Jazz squeezed his son. "I know, Blue, but the fact is that he'll be there. Just not physically. We all remember and love him, so he'll never really leave us as long as we remember him."

"No problem there." Bluestreak stated.

"I know." Jazz replied.

* * *

Ratchet, Arcee, and Bulkhead had arrived in Tarn when night had fallen, so the three decided that it would be a good idea to stop and stay at an inn for the night.

Arcee suggested that they stay in the inn that she always stayed in when she'd stop in Tarn on her trips to Creon and then back to Iacon.

Bulkhead and Ratchet, having not been out of Creon, quickly agreed.

The three made their way toward the inn, and Arcee entered to rent two rooms for the night cycle. When she returned, the three headed up to the room with the recharging younglings in their arms.

"Think they're going to recharge tonight?" Bulkhead asked.

"I hope so." Ratchet answered. He knew that it would be a long night and a long day the following day for him if the three did not recharge for him that night cycle.

Arcee opened one of the rooms. "You can stay in this room, Ratchet."

"All right. Just put them in the spare berth." Ratchet said as he lay Lightshow down on one of the berths.

"You sure you don't want us to take one of them and watch them?" Bulkhead asked.

"No. I'll be fine, Bulkhead. I always watch the three of them, so it's not that different for me. And as long as they recharge, I'll be all right." Ratchet told him.

"Well, okay." Bulkhead set Springer down on the berth beside Lightshow before Arcee set Hot Rod down on the other side of Springer.

"We'll see you in the morning, Ratchet." Arcee told him.

Ratchet nodded. "Same time as this morning?"

"Yeah. We'll be able to get into Iacon before nightfall." Arcee answered.

"Very well." Ratchet locked the door once Arcee and Bulkhead were out. He walked over and pulled the thermal blanket in the room over the three younglings before he went to the other berth in the room and lay down, intending to get some recharge himself. It had been a long day of driving, and he was in for another long day of driving the following day.

Iacon couldn't come soon enough for the medic, who was not used to so much traveling.

* * *

Wheeljack had decided to take the day off to help Skyfire plan their younglings' creation cycle celebration. It was a big deal since they were going to be an orn. "So, think we should make this a big party or keep it simple, Sky?" The inventor turned to face his bondmate.

Skyfire sighed. "'Jack, keep it simple. Family and friends don't need a great big deal. And Jetstorm and Jetfire don't need a great big party. You know that."

"Okay." Wheeljack went back to his datapad as he thought about what they could do. "Hey! Why don't I build-"

"No!" Skyfire forcefully stated.

"But Sky-" Wheeljack stated.

"No, Wheeljack! When I first learned I was sparked, I told you that you were never allowing our younglings into your lab under any circumstances until they were into their adolescent vorns. And you were also told that **NOTHING **you ever build is to get close to them." Skyfire told him.

"I don't see why." Wheeljack stated.

"Don't see why?" Skyfire asked incredulously. He thought the reason would be obvious. "Wheeljack, **EVERYTHING **you build **EXPLODES**! I don't want anything that has the potential to explode anywhere near our younglings. I don't care how much you say that it won't explode. I am not taking a chance like that." Skyfire told him.

Wheeljack sighed. "Fine."

Skyfire then walked over to his mate. "'Jack, are you certain that we should not put the party off until after all this is over?"

"No. Blue's already put off the bonding celebration because of this investigation. We can't let this investigation rule our lives." Wheeljack smiled. "Besides, I think a party celebrating Jetfire and Jetstorm's creation cycle is a good idea. We all need something fun to lift up our spirits, and I can't think of anything better than this."

Skyfire smiled. "I suppose you are right. We all need something like this." The shuttle then wrapped his arms around his mate from behind. "How are you doing, 'Jack? Really?"

Wheeljack sighed. "It's been hard, Sky. I admit that. I miss Ratchet a lot, and it makes me angry that Shadowstrike killed Ratchet solely because she wanted to be known as the Prime's new mate." Wheeljack shook his helm. "It makes me angry that she got away with it for so long."

Skyfire tightened his hold on Wheeljack. "Well, she won't get away with it. She's going to be made to answer for her crimes now. Optimus will not back down on this."

"I know. Just makes me mad. And it hurts to know that Ratchet, our niece, and our nephew would have still been alive if she hadn't acted in such a selfish and sparkless way." Wheeljack added.

Skyfire leaned down to kiss Wheeljack's neck. "I know. At least she won't get away with it. She'll have to answer for what she did. To the Senate and to Prime in this life and then she'll have to answer to Primus."

"That's the only comfort I get in this situation." Wheeljack sighed. "It's another reason why I'm planning Jetstorm and Jetfire's creation cycle celebration. It gives me something else to think about." Wheeljack sighed again. "Although it also just makes me think of the fact that Ratchet and Optimus's creations would have been almost an orn right now."

"I know. I think we all think that at times, 'Jack." Skyfire figured that he needed to get his mate's processors off of Ratchet and back to the party. "Now, what else do we need to do to plan the party?"

Wheeljack was grateful to his mate for the change in topic as he started telling Skyfire what he had in mind for the party.

* * *

Ratchet was going to lose his processors if his younglings asked him one more time when they were going to get there. He knew that they were tired and in need of getting out of him, but there was nothing he could do. He had been patient, but he was starting to lose it.

:_Hey, 'Cee. Just out of curiosity, where are the doc and I staying? You live at the barracks on base, so where we stayin'?_: Bulkhead asked over a comm between Arcee, Ratchet, and himself.

Ratchet realized that that was a good question.

:_Don't worry, Bulk. I have that taken care of. We're going to stay at a hotel not far from the base.: _Arcee sighed. :_We're just going to have to find some way to get Ratchet in unseen._:

:_Why is that so important, Arcee?_: Ratchet asked.

:_Because everybot in Iacon thinks that you're dead. If anybot sees you, that's immediately going to start a rumor that will either get back to Prime before I have a chance to explain things or to members of the Senate, which would be bad considering the fact that quite a few members of the Senate did and still do hate you._: Arcee explained.

Ratchet understood that then. It would be a great deal better for them if it remained unknown to anybot that he was alive and here in Iacon. He certainly didn't want to be targeted by anybot because that would also meant that his creations would be targeted, and that was the last thing that Ratchet wanted to happen.

:_'Cee, why don't you go in and get us checked in? Doc can just sneak in the back way so that no bot will see him. Not like the hotel workers really care about who stays in the hotel as long as they receive payment for the rooms that were rented._: Bulkhead stated.

:_That is actually a good idea, Bulkhead. It should work._: Ratchet agreed.

:_Okay. Bulkhead, you stay with Ratchet. Just to be safe._: Arcee stated.

:_No problem, 'Cee._: Bulkhead replied.

Once at the hotel they were going to be staying at, Bulkhead and Ratchet made sure that they stayed where no bot would see them while Arcee transformed and went in to get the keycards to their rooms. Once done, Arcee commed Bulkhead to let him know which rooms they were at so that the two could get on up to the rooms where Arcee would meet them.

Arcee was glad to see that there were no problems in getting up to the rooms. She opened up one of the rooms. "There's actually a door connecting our rooms, so there's no problem with us being in danger. We can unlock the door on both sides so that we can get in easily if it becomes necessary." Arcee stated.

Ratchet sighed. "Which means that these three are going to constantly be going between the rooms." He glanced down at his younglings, who were already roaming around the room.

"Come on, Bulk. Let's go to our room and get the other side of the door unlocked." Arcee told him as she handed the keycard to Ratchet before heading out the door.

"Right." Bulkhead followed his lover out the door.

Ratchet shook his helm as locked the door to the room before he went and unlocked the door that connected the two rooms.

A moment later, the door opened, and Bulkhead entered the room. "This'll work great."

"I suppose so." Ratchet then looked at the pink and blue femme behind Bulkhead. "When are you going to talk to them?"

Arcee didn't need it clarified who he was referring to. "I think I'll wait until tomorrow. It's late, and we've all had a long day. Besides, I'm going to speak with Lieutenant Jazz first. He'll probably already be back home right now, and he wouldn't be in a good mood if I asked to speak with him now."

Ratchet nodded his helm. "Tomorrow will be fine, Arcee. It'll give us time to rest up from our journey."

"Carrier, when are we going to have energon?" Lightshow asked.

Ratchet realized it was about time for them to have their nightly energon ration. "I suppose we can have our energon now."

"'Cee and I'll go get it." Bulkhead stated.

Arcee nodded in agreement before leaving with Bulkhead.

Ratchet sat down on one of the berths while he watched his creations play with a few of the toys that he had allowed them to bring with them. He knew that they were glad that they were no longer confined to his vehicle mode. He had to admit that they had done well for the length of the journey that they had gone on.

A part of Ratchet had thought that he would be nervous at the prospect of meeting his mate and his family, none of whom he was able to remember. He had thought he would feel uneasy or apprehensive at the thought of meeting these bots who knew who he was while he did not know one of them.

But Ratchet's spark was at ease. His spark knew who these mechs and femmes that he was to meet were and while his processors were not able to remember them, his spark did remember them. His spark was not apprehensive or nervous. In fact, his spark was ready to meet them.

Ratchet released a quite sigh. He hoped that things went as smoothly as his spark seemed to think they would. He would be glad to finally meet his family, and he would be even happier when he was finally able to meet his mate and introduce his creations to their sire.

* * *

The following morning, Jazz was back in his office on the base doing his daily reports. He had to admit that the majority of his reports recently had dealt with the investigation into Ratchet's death. It was getting tiresome to have to deal with the subject so much considering how close Jazz had been to his mate's carrier. Jazz himself missed Ratchet greatly, especially since Ratchet had become like Jazz's own carrier since Jazz had lost both his creators before he ever met Prowl.

At least Jazz could finally give Ratchet the justice that he deserved. He would make sure that Shadowstrike was not allowed to get away with what she had done to him. She would pay for it in the end.

Despite the fact that he knew Shadowstrike would be made to pay for her crimes, Jazz hated the fact that it had drawn up so many painful memories for so many bots, all of whom Jazz himself was close to. It brought up painful memories for Jazz himself.

Jazz sighed before turning his attention back to his reports. He knew that he needed to get them done and submitted. He went back to doing them until a knock on his door caused him to lose focus. Jazz frowned, wondering who would have come to see him that would have knocked. Most of the bots who would come to see him would just walk in. "Come in."

The door opened, and, to Jazz's surprise, Arcee entered. "Lieutenant Jazz, pardon the intrusion. I hope that I am not interrupting anything import." Arcee told him, standing at attention.

"Uh, no. Just routine reports." Jazz turned serious. "Did Elita-1 tell you I wanted to see you?"

Arcee seemed genuinely surprised. "No, sir. I have not spoken to Commander Elita yet. I am still on leave and was not planning to report to her until my leave ended."

"I see." Jazz wondered why Arcee had come to him. "Regardless, there were some things that I wished to speak with you about in regard to the investigation."

Arcee started to wonder if the rumors that the Special Ops head was psychic were true. He certainly had hit what she intended to speak with him about. "I understand, sir. That is actually why I have come to see you. There is additional information about that day that I feel I need to tell you."

"So, you withheld information about your mission." Jazz stated, not happy.

"No, sir. What I did not tell you has nothing to do with the mission." Arcee considered her statement. "It does in a way, but it regard what happened after the mission and after we returned to the base. In truth, no bot other than myself knew what I am about to tell you."

Jazz wasn't sure what to make of that statement. He motioned to the chair. "Sit down and tell me what you know."

Arcee hesitated before speaking again. "Actually, sir, I was hoping that you would come with me. It would be easier to show you than to tell you."

Jazz raised an optic ridge. "Arcee, I would like to remind you that I am head of special ops for a reason. Any attempt to harm me-"

Arcee quickly raised her hands. "No, sir! I would never think of something like that! I am not a suicidal femme! I assure you that I am not leading you into a trap nor am I attempting to do anything underhanded. I just feel that you would believe I was lying if I outright told you. I think it would be much easier for you to believe me if you were to see it for yourself."

Jazz considered that a moment before deciding that there was no reason not to. He could handle anything that happened if this really was a trap. He stood up. "All right. Just don't waste my time. I don't particularly care to waste my time for something unimportant."

"I understand, sir. I assure you that this will be worth your time." Arcee already knew that this would be well worth his time, although she couldn't blame him for being suspicious and wary of believing her.

"Very well then. Lead the way." Jazz told her.

Arcee nodded before turning and leaving the office with Jazz following her. The two made their way out of the building that they were in before leaving the base. Once outside the base, Arcee transformed and headed off with Jazz following her, also in his alternate mode.

Arcee had made sure that the hotel they stayed at was not that far from the base so that it wouldn't take long for her and Jazz to reach it. Plus, she knew that Jazz would feel less like it was a trap if he saw just how close to the base they really were.

Jazz was surprised when they came to a hotel that wasn't far from the base. He wondered why Arcee would want to come here considering the fact that he knew that Arcee lived in the barracks on the base. He couldn't even begin to imagine why they would come here.

Arcee transformed when she was in front of the hotel, and Jazz followed her lead.

"Arcee, why are we here?" Jazz asked her.

Arcee turned to her superior. "Lieutenant, I promise that there is nothing devious going on here. What I need you to see is important, and it's here."

Jazz frowned, unsure. He had this feeling that something was going on, and he knew that there was a lot that Arcee wasn't telling him. It was one of the things that put him on edge. "All right. Go on."

Arcee nodded before heading into the hotel and heading up to the upper levels. She knew that Ratchet was prepared for when Jazz entered the room, but she wasn't sure how the lieutenant was going to react upon seeing Ratchet alive and well.

Jazz followed Arcee, intending to keep the femme in front of him in case this really was a trap. He wasn't about to be caught between her and some other bot should Arcee be up to something.

Arcee arrived at the room that Ratchet was staying in. She hoped that Bulkhead already had Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer in the other room. She definitely didn't want them there when Jazz saw that Ratchet was alive for the first time. She then opened the door to the room and stepped inside. She noticed that Ratchet was sitting on one of the chairs that were in the room.

Ratchet glanced up when he heard the door open and saw Arcee standing there. He could see that there was another bot behind her, whom he assumed was Jazz.

Arcee stepped out of the way so that Jazz could see Ratchet.

Jazz entered the room, his sensors already informing him that there was another bot in the room. He was for anything, just in case this bot thought that it would be a good idea to try and attack him. The saboteur looked up and froze at the sight.

Ratchet was sitting right in front of him. Ratchet, who was supposed to be dead, was sitting in front of him. Ratchet was sitting in front of him, looking in extremely good condition. Looking as if nothing had ever happened to him.

Jazz's processors attempted to process the fact that Ratchet, whom the black and white mech had thought was dead for an orn, was sitting in front of him looking like he was in excellent condition.

Arcee stood and waited for Jazz to react. She waited for him to hug Ratchet, turn and yell at her, or anything along those lines.

Jazz was struggling to compute the fact that the mech he thought had been dead for an orn was alive and well in front of him. He finally was able to accept the fact that Ratchet was alive and well in front of him. And promptly fainted.

Arcee blinked in shock. "You know, of all the reactions I had imagined, that was not one of them."

Ratchet sighed. "I suppose when you see a bot you had believed was dead for an orn, it is rather overwhelming." He stood up and walked over to where Jazz was before he easily picked the black and white mech up into his arms and turned around. "Lock the door, would you, Arcee? I'd rather that no other bot saw this."

"Right." Arcee turned and shut the door, locking it.

Ratchet walked over and set Jazz down on the berth before performing a scan on the black and white saboteur. He was glad to see that there didn't appear to be any damage to him.

"How is he?" Arcee really didn't want to have to tell Captain Prowl that something had happened to his mate while out with her. That would so **NOT **go over well.

"He's fine. Most-likely fainted from the shock of seeing me alive. He should regain consciousness soon." Ratchet answered.

Arcee nodded, glad to hear that.

* * *

Jazz released a groan as he slowly came online. His HUD informed him that he had had an unexpected power down, but that there was nothing wrong with any of his systems. His HUD also recommended that the saboteur take in some energon to help with his low energy levels.

Jazz remembered that he thought he had seen Ratchet sitting in a chair in the room that he had followed Arcee into. He came to the conclusion that he must have been so low on energy that he had imagined that he saw something like that. After all, if Ratchet had survived, he would have come back an orn ago. He wouldn't have waited until now to return.

Jazz sighed as he onlined his optics. He nearly jumped out of his frame when he found himself looking up at none other than Ratchet, who had an unreadable expression on his face. He suddenly had a cube of energon thrust in his line of vision.

"Drink this. I have no doubt that the strain of the shock you received has made you low on energy. You need to get that in before you end up with more problems than just being low on energy." Ratchet ordered.

Old habits of just doing what Ratchet ordered seemed to kick in for the saboteur as he took the cube of energon and started drinking it.

Arcee was slightly amused, although she had to admit that she had seen other bots back in Creon follow Ratchet's orders without question in such a way. She had done that, simply because she knew what Ratchet was like and didn't want to do anything to incur his wrath.

Jazz finished the cube rather quickly and had finally regained control of his motor functions. He set the cube aside before jumping at Ratchet and grabbing him in a strong hug. "I can't believe it! You're alive! I thought you were dead! We all did!"

Ratchet was a bit stunned by this, but spark fluttered with happiness at the closeness of the black and white mech. He could also feel a love like the love he held for his creations fill him. He knew this wasn't his son, but he could tell that he loved him as if he was one.

Arcee decided to remind Ratchet why. :_Ratchet, this is Prowl's mate, and Prowl's your son._:

:_Thank you._: Ratchet held Jazz a moment before speaking aloud. "I know that you thought I was dead, but I can assure that I'm very much alive."

Jazz then let go of Ratchet. "I don't understand. If you've been alive all this time, why didn't you come back before now?"

Arcee stepped forward. "I think that maybe I should explain that, Lieutenant. It's because of me that no bot knew before now."

Jazz turned to face her, his visor hiding his hard optics. "What do you mean?"

So Arcee told Jazz about leaving the base without permission and going back to find Ratchet. She told him about getting Ratchet the help he needed and hiding him in Creon. She made sure that Jazz knew she thought Ratchet would have been killed had she let everybot know that he was alive, and she also made sure to point out that Ratchet had no memory of the past, so he didn't remember any of them.

Jazz looked between them and quickly came to the conclusion that none of this was a joke. "So, you don't remember me?"

"No, I do not." Ratchet smiled. "Although my processors do not remember you, my spark does. I know that I loved you like a son, given how my spark reacted."

Jazz smiled. "Yeah. You did." He then looked at Arcee. "I see why you didn't want to tell me. You were right. I wouldn't have believed you if you just told me."

Arcee nodded, having known that that would be the case. "If I had known the truth back then, I wouldn't have kept the fact that he was a live a secret, but I thought Shadowstrike had been ordered to do so. I felt that if I kept it a secret, then Ratchet would never be in danger. And I never told Ratchet the truth because I would have told him his mate had ordered him killed, and that was the last thing I wanted to do. I thought keeping it a secret was the best choice to make."

"I understand that. I had this feeling that there was something you didn't tell me when I interviews you." Jazz glanced at Ratchet. "I think I know what that was."

"As soon as Arcee came to Iacon, she informed me of the truth and of what you told her regarding the truth behind what Shadowstrike had done. She also asked me to return to Iacon with her, and I agreed." Ratchet stated.

Jazz nodded. He had to admit that when he had first started investigating what had happened, he hadn't thought that he would find out that Ratchet was actually alive. This had turned out a lot better than he thought it would.

"As much as I have enjoyed meeting you, I believe that there are a lot of bots who would also like to know that I'm alive." Ratchet stated.

"Uh, right. I'll have to let them see you to believe it as well. Ain't no way any of 'em will believe you're alive simply by me telling you. Not even Prowler would believe me, and he's my mate." Jazz stated.

Ratchet frowned. "I thought his designation was Prowl."

"It is. That's just my nickname for him." Jazz replied.

"Nicknames are meant to shorten the designation." Ratchet stated.

Jazz grinned. "So Prowler tells me."

Ratchet sighed. "Regardless, I would like to end their suffering as soon as possible."

"Sure thing." Jazz glanced at him and dreaded the answer to his next question. "I think I know the answer to this, but the sparklings died, didn't they?"

Ratchet smiled. "No."

Jazz looked shocked.

"By Primus's grace, the sparklings were unharmed. Blue Cross, the medic who saved my life, said that the gestation chamber's reinforced protective covering is probably why nothing happened to them. They are both alive and well.' Ratchet stated.

"Where are they?" Jazz immediately asked.

Ratchet gestured to the door that connected the two rooms. "In the other room with Bulkhead."

"Who's-" Jazz started.

"Bulkhead is actually my lover." Arcee said.

Jazz raised an optic ridge.

Ratchet sighed. "When I first lived in Creon, Bulkhead's creators helped me a great deal. They themselves had only recently had a sparkling whose designation is Springer. Bulkhead and his spark twin Breakdown were already in their first vorn and would often make sure I was all right. About three groon before I delivered my creations, their creators were killed in a construction accident." Ratchet sighed. "Bulkhead and Breakdown were devastated, and Springer was too young to understand. I had grown attached to them. While Bulkhead and Breakdown were of the age they could live alone, they were not old enough to care for Springer, so I adopted Springer and have raised him as my own. Hot Rod and Lightshow, the creations I delivered, have been raised as if Springer was their sibling. Bulkhead and Breakdown have remained a strong force in their lives, and quite honestly, if you were to ask them, they have three younger siblings. They consider and Hot Rod and Lightshow their siblings as well."

"So, made a family for yourself." Jazz stated.

"In a way." Ratchet then turned serious. "I'm telling you because Springer is here as well, and I have raised him no different than the other two. As far as he knows, I am his carrier. I plan to tell him the truth when he reaches adolescence, but-"

Jazz raised his hand. "Say no more. Ain't no bot here going to do anything to jeopardize that. And I'll tell you right now that Optimus is going to be happy to help you raise Springer. He won't treat him any differently than the other two."

Ratchet nodded, glad to feel that bit of reassurance from a bot who was close to the Prime.

"Now can I meet them?" Jazz asked.

"Sure." Ratchet stood up and went to the get them.

"I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I?" Arcee asked.

Jazz turned to looked at her. "I can't say. You were wrong to keep this from us, but your reasons were right. You thought you were protecting him. On the opposite side, had you not gone back, Ratchet may have died before he found him, so in that, you were right." Jazz sighed. "Honestly, Prime's the one who will ultimately decide what happens."

Arcee nodded in understanding. She had expected to get in trouble for this, so she felt that this was just. After all, she knew that she had done the right thing in bringing Ratchet back.

A moment later, Ratchet returned with the three younglings and Bulkhead was behind him.

Bulkhead glanced at Arcee with an expression that was asking how things were.

Arcee nodded her helm to let him know that everything was fine.

The three younglings looked up at Jazz.

Jazz was in awe at the three younglings. He couldn't believe that they were alive, and he knew that Optimus was going to be beyond thrilled when he learned all of this.

"That's a cool visor." Hot Rod said, looking up at Jazz curiously.

Jazz smiled. "Glad ya think so. What's your name?"

"I'm Hot Rod." Hot Rod answered.

"I'm Lightshow." Lightshow added.

"And I'm Springer." Springer finished.

Jazz smiled. "Name's Jazz, and it's good to meet all of you."

"How do you know our carrier?" Lightshow asked.

Ratchet decided to answer for them. "I think there's something else you need to know."

All three younglings turned to look at their carrier as Ratchet knelt in front of them.

"I've recently found out that members of our family live here in Iacon." Ratchet stated.

"You mean the family you can't remember?" Springer asked.

"Yes. I do." Ratchet smiled at Jazz. "Jazz is your older brother's mate."

"We have an older brother?" Hot Rod asked.

"Two, actually." Jazz replied.

The three younglings turned back to look at Jazz.

"So, you're family?" Lightshow asked.

"I sure am. And I'm glad to finally meet you three." Jazz smiled at them. He knew that his mate and their entire family were going to be happy to see these three and Ratchet. It was more than any of them thought that they would get.

"Carrier, does that mean we're finally going to meet our sire?" Hot Rod asked.

"Yes. It does." Ratchet answered.

"When?" Lightshow asked.

"Soon." Ratchet wasn't sure when.

Jazz made a decision. He knew that Optimus was at his office in the palace, and he knew that this would be the most important thing to the Prime. Plus, Jazz knew that the Prime had suffered without his mate and his creations for long enough. It was time to end the suffering for them all.

"Could I talk to you a minute, Ratchet?" Jazz asked.

"Sure." Ratchet motioned to the other room, and the two headed into it, leaving Arcee and Bulkhead to watch the younglings.

"Ah think it might be a good idea to go on the palace. I know Optimus is in his office there." Jazz stated.

"Are you sure we won't interrupt anything important?" Ratchet asked.

Jazz smiled. "Believe me. There ain't nothin' that's goin' to be more important to 'im than finding out his mate and his creations are all alive."

"If you're sure." Ratchet ventured.

"Trust me. I am. As long as you're with me, you'll be fine on getting' in." Jazz told him.

"You must understand we have been keeping the fact that I am alive a secret because of the fact that we fear members of the Senate that hate me might try something underhanded." Ratchet stated.

"That's a possibility, but once in the palace, you'll be safe. I wouldn't put any of you in danger for any reason." Jazz told him.

Ratchet smiled at the saboteur. "Thank you, Jazz."

Jazz nodded his helm. "Come on."

The two headed back into the other room with the others.

"All right. Let's get goin'. There are other bots who you guys need to meet." Jazz stated cheerfully.

"Yes!" all three younglings exclaimed.

"All right. Come along. And behave." Ratchet told them.

Jazz glanced at Bulkhead and Arcee. "You two come, too."

Bulkhead was a bit surprised, but followed them as did Arcee.

Once outside, the four adults transformed, and the younglings climbed into Ratchet.

Jazz then lead them toward the Prime's palace. He knew that Optimus was going to be beyond shocked when he saw Ratchet. He also knew that Optimus was going to be happy as well. Jazz was glad that something good had actually come out of the investigation he launched.

The whole family was going to be back together again, and the family would be whole again. There had been a hole in the family since Ratchet had "died", so with Ratchet and the younglings there now, the family would finally be whole again.

And the sparks that had suffered so much pain would soon be healed as well.

* * *

Leave a review and let me know what you thought!


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm leaving for vacation this Saturday, June 16. I will be gone until either Wednesday June 20 and Thurday June 21. I may or may not have access to teh Internet, so I may not be able to do any updating until I get back. I will have a computer with me, so I will try to get some writing done. I'm updating all three stories, so I may not update any of them again until I get back. The next update may be Thurday June 21 or Friday June 22 at the earliest.**

Thanks for all the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 9

Optimus was working on dealing with some of the every cycle issues he had to deal with. He was used to dealing with these issues, which was why he was able to remain so calm while dealing with it.

Dealing with the Senate's demand to drop all of the charges against Shadowstrike and Windstreak and release them immediately was not something that he would deal with easily. He was going to have to remind the Senate that they had no say in the military matters that took place. He would also need to remind them that any protests about matters of the military would need to go to Grindor, who would then relay them to Galvatron and himself.

Optimus shook his helm. He had known that the Senate thought that they were above reproach, but they were pushing him to the limits of his patience. He was close to letting his temper lose on the Senate.

Optimus stopped his work and dropped his stylus onto his desk before he leaned back in his chair. He released a tired, frustrated vent of air. He was so tired of all that was going on with Shadowstrike and Windstreak. He was tired of the Senate trying to interfere in a place that they had no right to interfere, and he was tired of some of the senators trying to get him to bond with their daughters. He had thought that the focus would be on Shadowstrike and Windstreak's arrest, not on the fact that he and Elita were no longer together. Unfortunately, that had not deterred some of the senators from continually urging him to court their daughters, something that the Prime had repeatedly told them would not happen, although none of the senators had listened to him thus far.

A knock on the door startled the Prime out of his thoughts. He sat upright before saying, "Come in."

The door opened, and Jazz walked in. "Hey, OP. Sorry about not comming you first, but I didn't really have the time."

"It's not a problem, Jazz. Come on in." Optimus stated.

Jazz walked into the office, but didn't close the door. "Actually, Ah was hopin' that you could come wit' me. There's somethin' Ah want to show ya."

Optimus raised an optic ridge. "Can it wait, Jazz?"

"No. Ah don't think it can. It's real important, and it's somethin' that requires your immediate attention." Jazz replied. He couldn't tell the Prime the truth, or the red and blue mech would never come. After all, it would be difficult for the Prime to believe that Ratchet was alive when he had spent the last orn believing he was dead. Much like Jazz probably wouldn't have believed that Ratchet was alive if he had not seen it with his own optics.

Optimus sighed. "All right, Jazz." He stood up from his desk and walked around to where the saboteur was. He didn't see any harm in seeing what it was that the black and white mech wanted to show him.

Jazz led the Prime out of the office and down the hall. Jazz knew that the red and blue mech was going to be beyond shocked when he saw what Jazz was taking him to see.

* * *

Ratchet was sitting in the lounge with Arcee. He was amazed at the vastness of the palace as well as the décor. He was not used to such since all he could remember was Creon. He only remembered simplicity, which was what the palace definitely was not.

Arcee herself was amazed by how the palace looked. She had never been inside the palace of the Prime before, and honestly thought that she never would. It was amazing to see it, although she had to admit that she was nervous about what would happen when the Prime arrived. She glanced over at Ratchet and asked, "Ratchet, are you nervous about meeting the Prime?"

Ratchet looked at Arcee. "One would think that I would be nervous about this, but the honest truth is that I'm not. As I've mentioned before, my spark is at ease being here. Almost as if I have come home."

Arcee knew that the honest truth was he had come home. She realized that the saying that the spark never forgets was true. Ratchet's spark must recognize everything, which explained why Ratchet reacted so well to Jazz hugging him.

A few moments later, the door to the room opened, and Jazz stepped in.

Ratchet immediately stood up at that as he knew that it meant that the Prime would be entering in a few moments.

Jazz gave Ratchet a reassuring smile, not knowing that Ratchet wasn't nervous or uneasy about meeting the Prime at all. His reassurance wasn't needed at all, although Ratchet did appreciate the gesture.

"All right, Jazz." Optimus stated as he entered the room. "What is this-" The Prime trailed off as pure shock overtook him at the sight in front of him. Of all the things he thought his son-in-law could be showing him, showing him his supposedly dead mate standing in front of him looking as if there wasn't a thing wrong with him was certainly not on the list.

Ratchet looked at the Prime and felt as if his spark was going to leap from his chest plates. If he had been unsure before what feelings he had held for the Prime, he held no doubt now that he had truly and deeply loved this mech. His spark felt so much relief at seeing this mech that he had no doubt this mech had been his mate.

Optimus wasn't sure what to think or say. He had believed for this last orn that his mate was dead. He had thought that his mate had been killed by Shadowstrike in a fit of jealousy, but here he was standing before him. It was a lot to take in.

But Optimus had never been a mech that relied solely on logic. He could accept that there were some things that logic was not able to explain. And he was also not one that truly cared for decorum. Especially not in this case.

Optimus made it across the room to where Ratchet was in only three strides and quickly wrapped his arms around Ratchet, pulling him against his chest.

Ratchet found himself willingly being pulled against the Prime and realized that this was exactly where he needed to be. His spark felt calm and content. He knew that he had loved this mech once, and he had no doubt that he would be able to fall in love with this mech all over again. His spark already felt a deep love for the mech, a love that Ratchet could not remember. It was the first time that Ratchet could remember cursing his lack of memory. He truly wanted to remember what he had had with this mech.

Arcee had stepped back so that she was out of the way. She didn't want to do anything that might interfere with the reunion between the Prime and Ratchet. This had been the whole point in telling Ratchet who he really was and asking him to come to Iacon. She wanted to end the pain her Prime had been in since she now knew the truth about what had happened an orn ago. She now regretted not coming forward and being honest sooner, but she could not dwell on the past. There was nothing she could do about it right now.

"Ratchet, you're alive." Optimus murmured so low that only Ratchet was able to pick it up. He had never felt such relief in his entire function, and he could feel all of the pain and grief that had once filled his spark fade as he held his mate in his arms. His spark felt at ease and excited at the fact that the mech he held in his arms was his mate and that he was alive.

Jazz smiled at the sight of the two holding each other. He viewed them as creators since that was how they treated him. He wasn't sure how many creations the two had if one counted all of the mechs and femmes who looked to them as creators. There was a lot of them. He was glad that Ratchet was alive, and that he had finally been reunited with Optimus. "Told ya what Ah had to show ya was important."

Optimus loosened his hold on Ratchet enough that he could turn to look at Jazz. "Yes. I suppose you did." He then looked at his mate, whom he never wanted to let go of again. "I don't understand, though. How are you alive, Ratchet? And why didn't you come back sooner?" As happy as he was that Ratchet was alive and back with him, Optimus was still hurt that Ratchet had been alive all this time and did not come back.

Arcee decided that she needed step in here. It was because of her that no bot knew that Ratchet was alive, so she decided she should take the heat for this, not Ratchet.

But Ratchet beat her to it. "The reason I couldn't come back was because I can't remember."

Optimus looked more than a bit surprised.

Ratchet sighed. "After the attack, there had been some damage done to my memory core. The truth is that I can't remember anything before when I awoke from my injuries in Creon. I honestly didn't even know until recently about any of you."

"The damage was that extensive?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet nodded his helm. "I've been living in the small town of Creon since then." He then looked over at Arcee. "As for how I survived, it's because of Arcee that I am alive."

Optimus glanced at Arcee and realized that she was one of the ones who had gone on the mission. He also knew that she was also one of the ones that been kept in the dark about Shadowstrike's real reason behind her actions that cycle. He wondered what Arcee had to do with all this.

Arcee stepped forward, knowing that she needed to tell her Prime everything. "Ratchet is right, Prime. I am the cause of a great a deal of this."

Optimus was uncertain of the meaning behind that, so he decided to ask. "What do you mean?" He kept one arm around Ratchet as he really didn't want to let go of Ratchet at all.

Arcee started to explain. "When we returned from that mission, I snuck off the base and returned to where Ratchet had been. He wasn't there, but I found him about twenty kliks away. He was already unconscious by the time I found him. I was able to get him to Tarn, where I had a friend who was a medic that could help him."

"Why did you not simply alert us?" Optimus asked.

"Because when Shadowstrike told us that we had been ordered to kill him, I thought that was truth. I thought that if I let anybot know that he was alive, he would be killed." Arcee explained.

Optimus supposed that that made sense. At least, looking at it from Arcee's perspective.

"My friend in Tarn was able to save his life, and once he was stable enough, we moved him to my hometown of Creon. I knew that he would be safe there, and I knew that no bot would think to look for him there. He finished recovering in Creon. I never told him the truth about his past because I would have told him that you ordered him killed. It's what I thought was true and would happen. I didn't know the truth until Lieutenant Jazz informed me of it during the interview I had with him." Arcee explained.

"Once she arrived in Creon, she told me the truth and asked me to come with her here to Iacon." Ratchet smiled. "She knew that no bot here would have believed that I was alive if she just told you. That's why she wanted me to come here with her."

"She's right. It would have been difficult to believe." Optimus glanced over at Jazz. "You were right. This was important." Probably the most important thing he could have done that cycle.

Jazz grinned. "Told ya."

Optimus had to admit that he was a bit upset with Arcee that she had kept the fact that his mate was alive all this time a secret, but he couldn't focus on that at the moment. He was too happy that he had his mate back.

Ratchet was amazed that he felt so relaxed and at ease with the Prime. He didn't even feel odd that the Prime's arm was still wrapped around his waist. It just felt natural. Ratchet was glad that this had worked out so well.

But there was still something else that Ratchet needed to do. He needed to let the Prime know that his, no, their creations were alive and well. And ready to meet their sire. "There is one more thing that you should know."

Optimus turned his entire focus onto Ratchet, which wasn't hard for him to do. It had never been hard for the Prime to give Ratchet his undivided attention. "What's that?"

"I think it's time I told you about the sparklings that I was carrying at the time." Ratchet answered.

Optimus had been thrilled to see his mate alive and honestly hadn't thought of his creations. Now that he was, the Prime had a sinking feeling that they hadn't survived the attack, which brought back some of the spark ache. "They didn't survive." It was a statement, not a question.

Ratchet smiled. "No. They survived. In fact, they weren't harmed in any way by the attack."

Optimus looked at Ratchet with wide optics. "They're-alive?" The pain that had seeped into his spark had vanished to be replaced by shock and joy.

Ratchet nodded his helm.

"Where are they?" Optimus wanted, no, needed to see his creations with his own optics.

"They're in another room. We'll get 'em. Come on, Arcee." Jazz said as he turned and headed for the door. He knew that Ratchet was going to want to tell Optimus about Springer in private.

"They're both all right?" Optimus asked.

"They are fine." Ratchet sighed. "Although you should probably know that there are three younglings."

"Three?" Optimus knew that Ratchet had only been carrying two, and he also knew that it too late in the carrying period for one of the sparks to have split. Did that mean Ratchet had had another one since then? The thought of his mate having another's creation made him upset, although he knew that Ratchet wouldn't have known about him, therefore, making Ratchet blameless.

"His name is Springer. I adopted him." Ratchet said.

"You did?" Optimus was surprised at that. Then again, Ratchet was known for his love of sparklings and younglings, so it shouldn't be that big of a surprise.

Ratchet nodded. "When I first started living there, Springer's creators helped me a lot. Springer's only six groon older than Lightshow and Hot Rod."

Lightshow and Hot Rod. So that's what Ratchet designated their creations, Optimus mused.

"Springer has two older brothers, spark twins designated Bulkhead and Breakdown. They helped me a lot when I was first living there as well. Their creators were killed in a construction accident. Bulkhead and Breakdown were in their first vorn of adolescence, so they couldn't care for Springer. I had already grown attached to them, so I adopted Springer. He was only three groon at the time. I have raised Springer with Hot Rod and Lightshow as if he was their sibling. In truth, they are siblings except in energon." Ratchet stated.

Optimus understood why Ratchet was telling him this. "Ratchet, if you're worried about my reaction, don't be. I helped you raise Prowl and Smokescreen, and I will raise Springer with you. He won't be treated any differently." The Prime tightened his hold on Ratchet slightly. "What matters to me is that I have all of you now."

Ratchet smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. My greatest regret has been that I couldn't tell them who their sire was, and they have asked me on several occasions. I'm glad I can finally give them that."

Optimus pulled Ratchet back into a hug. "And I'm glad to have all of you back."

Ratchet leaned into the embrace, feeling content. Things were working out better than he had ever expected them to.

* * *

Jazz and Arcee walked down toward where Bulkhead was keeping an optic on the three younglings. The two were walking in silence.

Jazz finally broke it. "Arcee, when we take them to Optimus and Ratchet, I think it'd be a good idea if we all made ourselves scarce. I think this is better off kept between the five of them. 'Sides, I don't think Prime would want an audience when he meets his creations for the first time."

"I understand. Bulkhead and I can return to the lounge if you would like. Or we could leave." Arcee knew that she no longer had a real reason to remain there.

"Nah. You'd better stick around. You two can stay in the lounge." Jazz replied.

Arcee nodded.

"Arcee, the one thing that I haven't done is tell ya thank you." Jazz stated.

Arcee looked at Jazz in shock. "For what?"

"Saving Ratchet and looking after him all this time. And bringing him back. Ya don't even realize what you've done for this family." The black and white mech sighed. "Truth is that this family had been splintered since Ratchet's "death"." Jazz placed the word death in air quotes. "The family never broke, but it was sure devastated. Still was even before I started looking into this. With Ratchet and the little ones back, you've repaired our family. I'm thanking you for that."

"But I kept him away from all of you all this time. I could have ended this for all of you a lot sooner." Arcee protested.

"Yeah, and I'm sure that there are going to be some who will be very angry, but you did what you thought was right with the limited information you had. I'm sure even Prime's upset with you, but you did save Ratchet. You saved them all." Jazz turned and smiled at her. "And you'll have all of our gratitude for that one."

Arcee smiled back. "Thank you, Lieutenant, and you don't have to thank me. Honestly, Ratchet has become an important part of my life, too."

Jazz laughed. "Yeah. The doc had that effect for some reason or another."

The two entered the lounge where Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer were plating with Bulkhead.

"Hey, Arcee!" Lightshow bounded over and jumped into the femme's arms.

Arcee smiled. "Hey, Lightshow. Are you ready to go see your carrier?"

"Yeah!" all three younglings replied excitedly. They knew that they were going to meet another member of their family, although they weren't aware that it was their sire.

"Let's go then." Jazz stated.

The other two younglings ran over to the adult bots.

Bulkhead stood up as well.

"Bulk, why don't you wait here? We're going to take them to Ratchet and leave them alone for a bit." Arcee told him.

Bulkhead understood. "Sure thing, 'Cee. I'll wait for you."

Arcee and Jazz left with the three younglings, who followed them eagerly.

"Who are we going to meet, Arcee?" hot Rod asked.

"You'll find out in a moment, Hot Rod." Arcee didn't want to ruin the surprise. She knew for a fact that the three younglings were going to be beyond happy to meet their sire.

Jazz couldn't wait for Prowl to know about Ratchet being alive. He knew for a fact that his mate had done a great deal of grieving over his carrier, and the saboteur would be glad to end it for his mate. He also would be glad to tell Smokescreen and Bluestreak that Ratchet was alive since the two had also suffered a great deal over Ratchet's death. It would be a thrill for Starlight, Swiftwind, and Wheeljack as well. Not to mention Nemesis Prime, Alpha Trion, and Skyfire. Oh, who was he kidding? Everybot who cared about Ratchet was going to be glad to see that Ratchet was alive and to see that the younglings were alive as well.

The two bots arrived in front of the doors of the lounge that Optimus and Ratchet were in.

"Okay, you three. Your carrier's in here, so why don't you go on in?" Jazz suggested.

"Will we see you again?" Hot Rod asked curiously.

Jazz grinned. "Don't worry, little mech. You'll see me again before you know it. Now, get on in there. Your carrier's waiting on you." He opened the door for them, and the three younglings ran in.

"I'll head back to Bulkhead." Arcee turned and headed back to the lounge where the green construction mech was waiting.

Jazz sighed before turning and walking off. He knew that there was no reason for him to return to the base, but he couldn't go see his mate or he'd end up spilling his tanks to the mech. He'd figure out something.

* * *

The moment that Optimus heard the door open, he turned toward it. He had expected to see Jazz or Arcee first, but he saw three younglings run into the room. He was frozen for a moment as he saw his creations for the first time before watching as they ran over to their carrier.

Ratchet smiled as his younglings gathered around him. He knew that they were excited because they were meeting family that they had never seen before. He also knew that Optimus was probably going to be the most important one for them to meet. At least they were at the moment. "All right. Settle down."

Optimus couldn't believe that he was actually seeing his creations now. He had thought that this would be something that he would never be able to see, but now he was seeing them.

Lightshow looked up at the tall mech in front of her and noticed something. "Hey! You have the same colors I do."

Optimus was a bit surprised by that sudden exclamation, but allowed a smile to cross his face. "Yes. It seems that we do."

Ratchet should have known that that would be one of the first things that Lightshow would notice. He was glad that one of them had already spoken to the Prime, though. Now it was time for them to know who he was. "Hot Rod. Springer. Lightshow. I'd like for you to meet Optimus, your sire."

The three younglings looked up at the Prime in wonder.

"You're our sire?" Hot Rod asked.

Optimus knelt down in front of the younglings. "Yes. I am." He had honestly expected them to be wary of him for a while or even scared of him. He was, after all, a mech that they had never met before. As much as it hurt that they would feel that way, he knew that was a possibility.

What Optimus hadn't expected was to find his arms full of three younglings a moment later. He was beyond shocked that they weren't scared of him and seemed to be beyond thrilled to finally meet him.

"I'm glad to finally meet you!"

"Do you live here?"

"Are we going to live here?"

"Can we see more of this place?"

"Are we going to go out into the city?"

"Are we going to be a family?"

Optimus was stunned by the questions, especially the last one.

Ratchet chuckled. "All right. One at a time. He can't answer all of your questions at once." He knew how it was having all those questions thrown at him. He had had that done on more than one occasion. "Now, why don't you tell your sire who each of you are."

The three younglings got back on their feet and looked up at Optimus.

"I'm Hot Rod."

"And I'm Lightshow."

"My name's Springer."

"I'm glad to finally meet all of you." Optimus told them, meaning that with all his spark.

"Are we going to be staying here now?" Hot Rod asked.

Ratchet wasn't sure how to answer that. After all, it was the Prime's decision, not his.

"If your carrier wants to stay here, you all can certainly stay here." Optimus hoped that he would be able to convince Ratchet to remain here with them in the palace. He didn't want them going anywhere he couldn't make sure they were safe.

Ratchet was a bit stunned by that. He hadn't wanted to be any trouble for the Prime, although he had to admit that the idea of leaving wasn't a pleasant one. He smiled as he walked over. "If it's not a bother-"

"It's not." Optimus quickly assured him. Far from that.

Ratchet had a feeling it would mean more to Optimus than to any of them for them to remain there. And how could he say no when had Springer, Lightshow, and Hot Rod looking up at him with pleading optics. "All right. We'll stay here."

"Yes!" all three younglings exclaimed.

Ratchet smiled at them. He had known that they would be happy about it, and he was rather certain Optimus was happy about it as well.

Optimus thought about it for a few moments before he came to a decision. "Why don't we go to my quarters? It'll give us some time alone."

Ratchet nodded his helm in agreement, knowing that being alone in a place where they were not disturbed was for the best.

Optimus headed out of the room with his mate and his younglings followed him. He was glad when they didn't run into anybot on their way. He commed Jazz and told him that he would inform the rest of the family himself and to not tell anybot about Ratchet.

Jazz sent a reply saying that he understood. He also told him to take the time he wanted for the moment to spend with Ratchet and the younglings since he wouldn't find much time alone with them for quite some time.

Optimus thanked Jazz for that as he entered his quarters with his family.

The three younglings, being as curious as they were, instantly started looking around.

Ratchet sighed. "They are curious younglings."

"So are we, so they didn't stand much of a chance." Optimus replied, placing a gentle hand on Ratchet's shoulder.

Ratchet himself was looking around the room and found that the sitting room was not as luxuriously decorated as the rest of the palace seemed to be. There were items spread around the sitting room that were obviously mementos that the Prime wanted to keep out. The only luxurious items in the room seemed to be the two couches and chairs that were in the room, obviously designed for comfort.

"I know that it's not as opulently decorated as the rest of the palace is." Optimus started.

"Simplistic was the way I was thinking." Ratchet smiled. "And I think it's much better. From what I've heard about you, you have a much better view of the plight of the lower class than many in the Senate or the higher class do. It suits you much better."

Optimus smiled. "Thank you." He led Ratchet over to one of the couches and had him sit down before the Prime sat down beside him. "The truth is that you were the one who originally arranged the room."

Ratchet looked at him in surprise.

Optimus smiled. "In my first days as Prime, I was constantly in meetings and learning everything I needed to in dealing with my duties." He sighed. "I didn't really have time to do much with the room, so you did most of this. You had the time, and you made good use of it." He chose not to mention the fact that the medic also used his extra time to help relieve Optimus of the great amount of stress the Senate put on him, mostly through interfacing.

Ratchet frowned. "Why did you not change it?"

Optimus smiled at him. "Because I couldn't bring myself to. You were the one who arranged this room, and I just didn't have it in my spark to change a thing about this room or our berth room."

Ratchet nodded.

"Sire?"

Optimus was startled to hear that and turned to look at where Lightshow had stumbled across some toys he kept in the room for the times when he would watch Jetfire and Jetstorm for Wheeljack and Skyfire. It warmed his spark to be able to have a youngling call him that and that youngling be his with Ratchet. "Yes, Lightshow?"

"Can we play with these?" Lightshow asked.

"Of course."

That seemed to perk up the three as they dove for the toys.

"Are there other younglings here?" Ratchet asked curiously. He was rather certain that if the Prime had had a sparklings with Elita it was something that would have been made common knowledge.

"Yes, actually. Your spark twin, Wheeljack, has a set of split-spark twins with his mate, Skyfire. Despite the fact that we all thought you were dead, your family still treated me as if nothing had changed as did I. I watch Jetfire and Jetstorm for them from time to time. I don't often have the time, but I have those here for when I do watch them." Optimus explained. He glanced over at them. "I suppose we'll need to get more for them."

"No. They actually have quite a bit back in Creon." Ratchet replied.

Optimus worried that that meant that Ratchet didn't intend for them to remain in Iacon. He hoped that Ratchet would remain there. He didn't want to lose his family again after he had just found them.

But he knew that Creon had been Ratchet's home for quite some time, and it was possible that Ratchet would decide he did not want to live here in Iacon.

As Ratchet watched his younglings play, he realized that, like before, he was perfectly content to remain seated by the Prime as he was. In fact, he was having to fight the urge to snuggle up against the Prime, an urge that he did not think would ever hit him. Perhaps this was his spark's way of telling him that this was exactly where he belonged.

"Ratchet, could you tell me about them?" Optimus asked, looking at their younglings. "I missed a great deal of this lives, and I just want to know about them."

Ratchet smiled. "I can do one better." He then pulled a datapad from his subspace and handed it to the red and blue mech.

Optimus took it and realized that the datapad was pull of images of all three of them, mostly from their sparklinghood. This was quite surprising as well as spark-warming that he had this to look at.

"I thought you might want to look at these." Ratchet considered that a moment. "In fact, I'm quite certain that there are a few who would like to see it."

"Yes. There are." Optimus agreed as he began to scroll through the images. At seeing the images, he realized just how much of their lives he had missed, and it made him angry at Shadowstrike. She was the one who had ultimately taken all of this from him. She had been teh one that tried to kill Ratchet and thier sparklings, and she was the who had misled Arcee into beleiving Ratchet woudl die if she told anybot he was alive. In the end, Shadowstrike had taken his family from him for a time.

However, the Prime pushed his anger aside for the time being. He had no reason to show his younglings his anger. That wasn't an image he wanted imprinted on them this quickly, although if Ratchet's personality had remained intact, then it meant that they had already seen him act in such a manner themselves. But the Prime didn't want them to see their sire acting in such a way right now.

Ratchet started to tell Optimus the story behind the different pictures, just to help give the Prime an idea of what went on behind them.

Optimus listened eagerly, wanting to know all that he could about his creations. Besides, in telling the Prime about them, Ratchet had shifted closer to him, and Optimus wasn't going to question that closeness. If he had his way, Ratchet wouldn't be that far from him ever again and neither would his, no, their younglings.

Optimus was going to do everything in his power to make sure that he never lost his mate and his creations ever again. And Primus help the bot that thought it would be a good idea to try to take them away from him ever again.

* * *

Drop a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	10. Chapter 10

Love the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 10

Starlight and Swiftwind had been rather surprised when they received a private request from Optimus to come to his quarters. He told them that there was something he needed to talk to them about and added that it was rather urgent.

It was rare that the Prime ever asked the two to come to his quarters. He would normally come to their quarters or meet with them in the family room if he really needed to talk to them.

Even though they had lost Ratchet, Swiftwind and Starlight still considered Optimus their son-in-law. The two probably would always consider Optimus their son-in-law. They loved him as if he was their own, and both worried about him. They had known just how hard Ratchet's death had been on him, and the two had tried to be there for Optimus as much as they could considering the sparkache they themselves were suffering over the loss of their son.

"What do you suppose could be so important that Optimus would ask us to come to his quarters?" Starlight asked.

"I honestly don't know, Sweetspark. It must be important for Optimus to ask us to come, though." Swiftwind sighed. "I fear it may have something to do with this investigation."

Starlight feared that as well. "I hope that horrible femme is not going to be allowed to walk free after what she did." That's what worried Starlight the most. That Shadowstrike was going to be allowed to get away with what she had done to Ratchet simply because Shadowstrike was the daughter of a senator.

Swiftwind reached over and took Starlight's hand in his own. "Don't worry, Star. I'm certain that Optimus will not let that happen. We both know how much Optimus loved Ratchet and still loves him. He won't allow that to happen."

Starlight nodded, knowing that it was true. She had seen with her own optics just how much Optimus loved her son, and that was one of the reasons that she had liked the fact that Ratchet had chosen to be with Optimus. She could easily see just how much love Optimus held for her son, and Starlight had quickly approved of the young mech for that reason. All she had wanted for her son was for him to find somebot who would love him and take care of him, and she had known that Optimus would do that. She knew that Optimus would not allow Shadowstrike to get away with what she had done.

"Let's not worry about what Optimus has to tell us. We will find out very soon just what it is that Optimus needs us to know." Swiftwind told her.

Starlight nodded, knowing that he was right. She just couldn't figure out what it was that was so important that it could not wait.

The two soon arrived at the Prime's quarters, and Swiftwind knocked to allow Optimus to know that they were there.

A moment later, the door opened to reveal Optimus. "Swiftwind. Starlight. Thank you for coming. Please come in." He stepped aside to allow them into his quarters.

Swiftwind and Starlight were easily able to discern a difference in how Optimus was acting. Both noticed there seemed to be happy tinge to his energy field, and he didn't appear to be as pained as he had been in the past. It was something that had startled them both. The moment they stepped into the room, they understood why as both were completely shocked to find themselves facing none other than Ratchet.

Optimus smiled as he closed the door behind him. He had known that Swiftwind and Starlight were going to be beyond shocked to see that Ratchet was alive. He had immediately known that he needed to let Ratchet's creators know that Ratchet was alive as he knew just how much pain and grief they had gone through after Ratchet had "died".

Starlight could not believe her optics. She had to reset them a few times to make sure that she was seeing things right. She still saw her son standing in front of them looking as if nothing had ever happened to him. In fact, he appeared to be in as good of condition as the last time she had seen him. It was difficult to believe that after an orn of mourning and grieving over him that here he was in front of her. It was hard to process, but her spark felt instant joy at the sight.

Swiftwind could not believe that his son was alive standing in front of him. He had thought for so long that his son had died, and it was something that had caused great pain to the mech. To know that his son was actually alive and had returned home was more than he could have ever dreamed of happening.

"Ratchet?" Starlight asked in a whisper, almost afraid that this was a figment that her processors had conjured up in her grief over Ratchet.

Ratchet smiled at the femme whom he now knew as his carrier. He had Optimus to thank for telling him who his carrier and who his sire was upon seeing them. "Yes, Carrier. It's me."

That was all it took for Starlight to fly forward and pull Ratchet into a tight hug as a sob escaped her. She had done a great deal of crying over Ratchet in the last vorn, but this time, it was in pure joy at seeing her son alive again. "Oh, Ratchet! I can't believe that you're alive!"

Ratchet smiled as he wrapped his arms around his carrier. He himself couldn't remember who his own carrier was, so he was glad that he could finally meet her. "Yes, I am. I'm just sorry it took me so long to make it back home." He could tell from how his spark was reacting that he truly was home.

Swiftwind could feel his mate's happiness through their bond, and he honestly wasn't sure if he would ever see his mate as happy as she had been before they "lost" Ratchet. He was delighted that his mate had reached that level of happiness once more. And he was beyond thrilled to see his previous thought dead son alive again. The old mech walked forward before wrapping an arm around Ratchet and his mate. "It's good to have you back, Ratchet. You have no idea how much we have missed you."

Ratchet smiled. "You're right. I probably don't. And I'm glad to be back here, Sire." He could say that with pure honesty.

Optimus had stayed back and allowed them to have their reunion. He was glad to see Starlight and Swiftwind this happy again. He had known how hard all of this had been on them, and he was glad that their pain could finally be eased as would everybot else's once they learned that Ratchet was alive. Optimus could understand their joy and relief as he had felt the exact same relief when he had seen that his own creations were alive and well.

Starlight finally relaxed her hold and looked up at her son. "I don't understand. How is this possible? And why didn't you come back sooner?"

"That's a bit of a story." Ratchet replied.

The entire group sat down on the couches in the sitting room as Ratchet relayed everything that he knew from Arcee about what had happened an orn ago up until Arcee telling Ratchet the truth about his past and his agreeing with the pink and blue femme to return to Iacon with her.

"So, you don't remember us?" Starlight asked. It pained her to know that her son couldn't remember who she was.

"No. I don't." Ratchet motioned to Optimus, who was sitting on the other side of him. "Optimus was the one who told me what you looked like for me to know who you were." He then gave his carrier a reassuring smile. "My processors might not be able to remember who you are, but my spark certainly does. It's why I do know that I really am home here."

Swiftwind had listened to all this and was surprised by what he had heard. "Amnesia or not, it's good to have you back Ratchet." He smiled. "I think I'd rather have you here alive with amnesia than dead."

Optimus and Starlight couldn't have agreed more.

"I would have to agree with you there." Ratchet agreed.

"I, for one, would like to meet Arcee and thank her. As much as I wish that she would have told us that you were alive from the start, she is the reason that you are alive. And I am very grateful to her for that." Starlight stated.

"I think we all are." Optimus agreed. He knew that as much as he wished Arcee had told them from the start that Ratchet was alive, Arcee had done what she did because she thought that she was protecting Ratchet. He couldn't blame her for the actions that she took considering what she had thought was the truth. And she had told Ratchet the truth and brought him to Iacon the moment that she knew what the truth was.

As happy as Swiftwind was to know that his son was alive, he had to wonder what had happened to the sparklings that Ratchet had been carrying at the time. He feared that he already knew the answer to that, but he needed to ask anyway. "Ratchet, what happened to the sparklings?"

Ratchet should have seen this question coming. "They are fine, Sire. In fact, they're one of the other rooms."

"They are?" Starlight was shocked to hear that. She hadn't even considered the fact the sparklings, well, they were younglings now, had survived that horrid attack. That made this cycle all that much better. "Can we see them?"

"Before you do, you should know that there are three of them." Optimus told them.

"Three?" Starlight knew that Ratchet had been carrying twins, and she knew that if one of the sparks were to split, then that would have happened before the point Ratchet was at before he was captured by the Quintessons. So why were there three of them.

"The couple that had helped me in my first days in Creon had a son who was only six groon older than mine. When they were killed in a construction accident, I adopted their son, Springer. I've raised him no differently than Hot Rod and Lightshow. He also doesn't know that he's adopted, so don't tell him." Ratchet stated.

"Are you going to tell him?" Swiftwind asked curiously.

"Yes. I will. When he's older." Ratchet answered.

Optimus then stood up and walked to the door that he knew the younglings were playing behind. "Could you three come out here?"

A moment later, all three of the younglings ran out from the room they were in. They were startled to see two adults, one standing there and the other sitting beside their carrier, in front of them. They wondered who they were. They had already met a few new bots today, so they were curious as to whether or not these two were also members of their family.

Starlight was awed to see her grand-creations in front of her. She didn't care that Springer had been adopted by her son. He was still a part of their family, and he wouldn't be treated any differently than the rest of their grand-creations. This was something that the femme didn't think she'd ever see due to the fact that she had believed they died with her son. This was more than she had ever dreamed possible, and she was already thanking Primus for giving them Ratchet and his younglings back to them.

Swiftwind himself was captivated by the sight of his grand-creations. He had long since believed them to have already become one with the AllSpark along with his son. Seeing his son and his grand-creations again was something that brought warmth back to his spark that had weakened when he had thought they had lost them. Their family really was back together.

Ratchet stood up and motioned his creations over.

The three instantly ran over to their carrier, knowing that if he wanted them to come over that these two were bots that they could trust and that they didn't need to be scared of them.

"Lightshow, Springer, Hot Rod. I think that you three would like to meet these two. This is Starlight, your grand-carrier, and Swiftwind, your grand-sire." Ratchet told them.

The three younglings were surprised to hear that as they hadn't thought that they would have grand-creators like their friends back in Creon had, but they knew that their carrier wouldn't lie to them.

"Are they your creators, Carrier?" Lightshow asked.

"Yes, they are." Ratchet replied with a smile.

Starlight smiled at them before sliding off the couch to kneel down in front of her grand-creations. "And just who are all of you?"

Lightshow instantly smiled at her grand-carrier. "I'm Lightshow!"

"And I'm Hot Rod."

"My name's Springer."

Starlight smiled at them. "Well, I'm glad to finally meet all three of you."

Lightshow suddenly launched herself into Starlight's arms, surprising the adult femme greatly. "I'm so glad to finally meet you, Grand-Carrier! I've always wanted to meet you, but Carrier couldn't remember you! When he told us that we were going to be meeting family today, I didn't think I'd meet you! This is so great! We can now play together! We can do a lot of things together now!"

Starlight, after being around Prowl and Bluestreak for so many vorn, had come to recognize a rambling fit when she was on the receiving end of one, and this little femme was definitely in the beginnings of a rambling fit.

"Lightshow." Ratchet said gently.

Lightshow looked back at her carrier.

"You're starting to ramble." Ratchet wasn't sure how his carrier would feel about being on the receiving end of one of Lightshow's rambling fits. He knew that she could go on and on whether she was being listened to or not. And he had known her to go a joor straight before finally stopping for whatever reason.

Starlight chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Ratchet. She's not the first rambler I have come across." She wasn't going to spoil the surprise of the fact that Ratchet's own son and grand-creation were also known for their rambling. It seemed to be a family trait.

"Do you live here, too?" Hot Rod asked.

"Yes. In fact, we do live here in the palace. Somebot insisted that we live here." Swiftwind glanced pointedly at Optimus.

"You're family. And it's not like we don't have the room, Swiftwind. This palace is more than big enough for the family." Optimus told him. Which was the truth. If Ratchet and Optimus alone had moved into the palace back then, it would have been far too big for just the two of them.

"So, we'll get to see you a lot?" Springer asked hopefully.

"You most certainly will." Starlight promised. She had missed out on a great deal of their growing up, and she wasn't going to miss out on any more.

Ratchet smiled as he watched his creators interact with his younglings. He knew that he had made the right decision in returning to Iacon. It was the best thing for his family and for him, but most importantly, it was the best thing for his creations.

Optimus walked over to Ratchet and placed a hand on his mate's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Yes. Just thinking that I made the right decision in coming here." Ratchet replied.

Optimus smiled. "I agree with you on that." He couldn't even begin to describe the feeling of having his mate and his creations with him now.

* * *

Prowl released an annoyed growl as he glared at his mate's back. "Jazz, for Primus's sake! Will you just tell me what all of this is about!"

Jazz grinned, although he knew his mate couldn't see it since the black and white Praxian was behind him. "Don' worry, Prowler. You'll find out soon enough."

"Jazz, this had better be slagging important, or I'm going to slag you. I still had three joor of work left. I could have gotten a lot of my work done!" Prowl had to admit that he mostly wanted to concentrate on his work because it kept his mind off of the deal with Shadowstrike and what she had done to his carrier. When he concentrated on his work, it kept him from dwelling on anything.

"Ah, settle your circuits, Prowlie." Smokescreen said, grinning at his brother. "You know Jazz wouldn't drag you away from your precious work without good reason." The Praxian smirked. "Besides, Fixit has been saying for several groon now that you need to stop overworking yourself. You'll give poor Fixit a break if you actually take a break, even if it is just getting off a few joor early." Smokescreen snickered. "Probably would give Fixit a reason to dip into his high grade to celebrate."

Prowl glared at Smokescreen for his statement. "You're a psychologist, Smokescreen. Not a medic. Don't say what I need to do with my health."

"Except I heard Fixit say that to you. Several times, actually." Smokescreen replied.

"Don' worry, Prowler. This will be worth ya time. 'Sides, your sire was the one who wanted you to come. I'm just the one sent to get ya out of ya office. I have the most success with dragging you away from your work." Jazz told him.

"Sire wanted us to come?" Prowl was a bit surprised to hear that.

"Yeah." Jazz wasn't about to reveal anymore than that. He knew that Prowl and Smokescreen would have a problem believing that Ratchet was alive without seeing him with their own optics.

The three arrived at the palace and entered the gates before heading inside.

Prowl and Smokescreen had expected for them to head to Optimus's office, but they found themselves going in the opposite direction. They realized that they were heading for their sire's quarters.

"Sire's in his quarters?" Prowl was surprised. He had expected his sire to be in his office at this time in the cycle.

"Yeah. That's where he is." Jazz looked up and was glad to see that Bluestreak was outside of Optimus's quarters when they arrived.

"Okay, Carrier. I'm here. What's going on?" Bluestreak asked.

"You'll see in a klik, Blue." Jazz replied.

"Why does Sire want all of us here?" Smokescreen asked.

"You'll see in a klik, Smokey." No way was Jazz ruining the surprised. He raised his hand and knocked on the door to let the Prime know they were there.

A moment later, Optimus opened the door, a smile on his face. "I'm impressed, Jazz. You're on time, for once. Normally, you're late for everything."

Jazz grinned. "Knew you needed to see 'em for an important reason."

Prowl, Smokescreen, and Bluestreak were all stunned at the difference in Optimus. They could easily see that the pain and grief that had once radiated off of the Prime had been replaced by a joy and ease that they had thought they would never see in him again. What could have happened to change Optimus's demeanor so much?

"Come in." Optimus told them, moving to the side so that they could enter the room.

Bluestreak was the first one to enter the room. He had barely moved past his grand-sire before he immediately noticed the other mech that was in the room. The grey Praxian froze at the sight of his grand-carrier sitting on the couch.

Ratchet met the optics of the grey Praxian, already feeling in his spark how much he loved this mech. He knew from being told about him from Optimus that this mech was Bluestreak, his grand-creation. He was Prowl and Jazz's son, Ratchet reminded himself.

Bluestreak was shocked to see his grand-carrier standing there. He had believed the orange and white mech to be dead for the last orn. If he was here, then that meant he had never been killed. He was still alive! Bluestreak smiled brightly before bounding over to his grand-carrier. "Grand-Carrier! You're alive!" Bluestreak threw his arms around the medic, holding him tightly. "I don't believe it! We all thought that you were dead! We thought that you had been killed by Shadowstrike, but here you are! I don't how you're alive, but you are!" Bluestreak looked at his grand-carrier with bright blue optics. "There's so much that we have to catch you up on! Everybot's going to have so much to tell you!"

Ratchet had raised Lightshow, so he recognized the beginning stages of a rambling fit. He wondered if rambling was a family trait.

While Bluestreak was rambling, Smokescreen and Prowl were standing there in utter shock at the sight of their carrier.

Jazz grinned before glancing at Optimus. "Think we should save the doc from Blue?"

"No." Optimus smiled. "Lightshow, it would seem, is also a rambler. I believe that it is something that Ratchet is used to at the moment."

Jazz was glad to hear that. It meant that Ratchet wasn't going to be too overwhelmed by Bluestreak's actions.

Smokescreen reset his optics a few times to make sure he was seeing right. He then turned to Jazz and Optimus. "Uh, Sire? Jazz? Am I seeing Carrier, or do I need to see Fixit?"

Jazz grinned at Smokescreen. "Your optics are working fine, Smokey."

"It's him, Smokescreen." Optimus smiled at his son. "It's really him."

That was all Smokescreen needed to hear before he rushed over to his carrier as well. "Carrier! This is great!" The Praxian threw his arms around Ratchet as well. "I don't know how it is that you are alive, but I don't really care! You're here." Smokescreen pulled ack. "You have got to meet Dropkick."

"Dropkick?" Ratchet was sure he would remember if Optimus had told him about Dropkick.

Optimus then realized he hadn't mentioned Dropkick to Ratchet all. And was kicking himself for his lapse.

"My son. He's only a few groon." Smokescreen grinned. "I thought he'd never get to meet you. I'm so glad he'll be able to grow up with you around!"

Ratchet was startled by that. "So, I have two grand-creations." He glanced at Bluestreak.

Bluestreak grinned. "That's right!"

Meanwhile, Prowl was struggling to compute all of this. He could see Ratchet, but his processors and his battle computer were telling him that this was impossible. The bond with his carrier had snapped, and he knew the bonds Ratchet had shared with Smokescreen, Wheeljack, and Optimus were all gone as well. This wasn't possible. It wasn't logical.

Prowl's processors threatened to crash on him. This made absolutely no sense to him. He had spent the last orn under the belief that his carrier was dead. He thought that Shadowstrike had killed his carrier in a fit of jealousy. This was completely illogical!

Jazz frowned, wondering why Prowl hadn't made a move. "Prowler? Ya okay?"

Prowl didn't respond. He didn't have the processing power to answer the question.

"Prowler. Ya do realize that that's ya carrier, right?" Jazz asked.

That simple statement did it for the black and white Praxian. Prowl's processors crashed and he hit the floor an astroseconds later, out cold.

"Scrap." Jazz knelt down by Prowl. "Should have known that this would crash Prowl's processors."

Optimus sighed. He hated to admit that he hadn't even considered the fact that the complete illogicalness of the situation might overwhelm Prowl's processors.

"Oh, great Primus!" Bluestreak stared with wide-optics at his downed sire. "What happened to Sire!"

Optimus sighed. "I'm afraid that Ratchet being alive has completely overwhelmed Prowl's processors."

"Should of seen this one comin'." Smokescreen muttered, looking at his unconscious twin.

Ratchet frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Smokescreen and Bluestreak looked at the medic in shock.

"What are you talking about, Carrier? You know how Prowl's processors crash when he's faced with illogical situations." Smokescreen didn't understand why his carrier wouldn't remember such an important detail about Prowl, especially since Ratchet had been the main medic to deal with Prowl's processor crashes.

"Okay. This'll be explained later in detail, but the doc has amnesia and doesn't remember any of us, so he doesn't know about Prowl's glitch." Jazz told them.

Smokescreen and Bluestreak were shocked to hear that Ratchet had amnesia. They certainly hadn't seen that one coming.

Ratchet walked over and knelt down by Prowl, having dealt with a few processor crashes in his time in Creon. In fact, he dealt with it quite a bit back in Creon. "Doesn't appear to be too severe." Ratchet murmured. He glanced up. "This happens often?"

"Yeah. Prowler has this logic glitch. If somethin' is illogical, it overwhelms his logic circuits and causes his processor to crash. He's managed to get some control of it, though." Jazz grinned. "With your help, of course. Anyway, somethin' has to be severely illogical for Prowler to crash now."

"Unfortunately, since Prowl has spent the last orn believing that you were dead, Ratchet, seeing you alive would certainly be considered illogical." Optimus stated.

Ratchet sighed. "Well, it's not a severe crash. He should be fine."

"Can ya fix 'im here, or do we need to take him to the infirmary?" Jazz asked.

"I should be able to fix him here." Ratchet was glad that he had a set of emergency medical tools that every medic tended to have with them all time. "Can you get him on the table?"

"Sure thing." Jazz might have been a bit smaller than Prowl, but the Polyhexian had carried Prowl's weight around a great deal. He was easily able pick Prowl up and get him to the couch.

"I can explain all of this once I get Prowl back online." Ratchet told them as he pulled his tools from his subspace and got to work.

Jazz glanced back at Optimus. "Where are the little ones?"

"In that room." Optimus gestured to the room to his right.

"Little ones?" Smokescreen asked, confused.

Bluestreak's optics brightened. "You mean the sparklings are alive!"

"Well, they're younglings now." Optimus answered. He smiled at Smokescreen and Bluestreak. "And yes, they are very much alive."

"That's great!" Smokescreen couldn't believe this.

"Think we could meet them?" Bluestreak asked.

"In a few moments. There are a few things you should know first." Ratchet replied as he worked to aid Prowl.

"In short, Ratchet adopted a sparkling who was six groon older than ours, and he's here as well. His designation is Springer, and he does not know that he is adopted, so keep that quiet." Optimus told them.

Neither Bluestreak nor Smokescreen were surprised to hear that about Ratchet. It was just something that he would do, giving an orphaned sparklings a home and a family.

"Don't worry. We won't say anything to him." Smokescreen smiled. "Now, can I please see my little sister and brothers?"

It warmed Ratchet's spark to hear Smokescreen already referring to Springer as his brother. It made Ratchet feel more like Springer truly would be considered part of the family. He was a part of Ratchet's family, shared energon or not.

"Come on. I'll introduce you." Optimus led the two Praxians to the door and entered with the two Praxians following close behind. Jazz followed as well since he wanted to see the three younglings again.

Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod had been playing together in their room while they waited for their sire or carrier to come get them. They knew that they were meeting more bots and couldn't wait to meet their family.

"Lightshow. Hot Rod. Springer." Optimus said.

All three younglings turned to see that their sire was in the room along with Jazz and two mechs that they had never seen before. They were rather confused by the doorwings that the two mechs possessed.

"Come here." Optimus told them.

The three younglings stopped their playing and ran over to their sire.

"What is it, Sire?" Hot Rod asked.

"I'd like you three to meet your brother, Smokescreen." Optimus said, gesturing to the blue and red Praxian. "And this is Bluestreak," Optimus motioned to the grey Praxian, "he is the son of your other brother, Prowl, and Jazz."

"So, you're like a brother, too?" Lightshow asked.

Bluestreak laughed. "You could say that, I suppose." He knelt down. "It's great to meet you all."

Lightshow, ever curious, went right up to Bluestreak and reached out to touch his doorwings.

Bluestreak was surprised by this, but noticed that her touch was gentle.

"Why do you have these?" Lightshow asked

"Doorwings? All Praxians have doorwings." Bluestreak told her.

"Really?" Lightshow looked excited. "I've never met a bot with doorwings before!"

"You haven't?" Bluestreak knew that doorwinged bots were more common in Praxus or in Iacon, but he would have thought she would have seen a bot with doorwings before this. Where had his grand-carrier been all this time?

Smokescreen also got in the floor with them. "Well, you'll be seeing a lot more bots with doorwings here."

"Are you a soldier like Jazz?" Springer asked.

"No. I'm a tactician and psychologist." Smokescreen replied.

Hot Rod and Springer looked confused.

"He makes plans for battle and he's a shrink." Jazz helpfully simplified the terms for the two younglings to understand.

"Oh." Springer smiled. "So, have you seen battle before?"

"A few times." Smokescreen had seen a few battles back during the Quintesson war, but he had seen that much action. Not near the amount of action that Jazz or Optimus did.

"Why are you called Bluestreak? You're not blue." Lightshow asked, tilting her helm to the side.

"Ask him." Bluestreak pointed at his carrier. "He's one of the two who named me."

Jazz smiled. "He was named for my creators, Silverstreak and Blue Shot. We just combined their designations into Bluestreak."

* * *

Prowl groaned as he slowly came back online. He had a killer processor ache, meaning that his processors had most likely crashed. He felt like this when he had a minor crash. His entire frame felt like he had been on fire when he had a severe one. This wasn't bad compared to how he felt when he came online after a severe processor crash.

"Welcome back to the land of the functioning, Prowl." Ratchet said.

Prowl glanced at his carrier, and a look of shock passed over the black and white Praxian's faceplates at the sight of his carrier beside him.

Ratchet growled. "Don't you even think of crashing on me again, Prowl!"

Prowl jumped. That was certainly his carrier. "Carrier! But how? You were-"

"Dead? So I've heard." Ratchet answered as he stood up beside Prowl. "I can assure you that I am very much alive, Prowl. And there is nothing wrong with me."

It was still illogical to the Praxian that his carrier was standing in front of him, alive and well. But the Praxian ignored what his logic circuits and battle computer were telling him and allowed his emotional circuit boards and his spark do the thinking for him.

Prowl jumped up from his place on the couch before he grabbed his carrier into a tight hug, burying his face into Ratchet's chest plates as silent sobs wracked his frame. "I can't believe this. I thought you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again. I never thought-" Prowl trailed off.

Ratchet smiled as he maneuvered them to sit down on the couch. "It's all right, Prowl. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere."

Prowl held on to his carrier for a while longer, reveling in his carrier's comforting EM field. He had missed this more than he had ever realized. He had missed having his carrier around and being able to hold on to and go to when he needed comforting.

Ratchet held the Praxian for a moment, knowing that he needed it. He could also tell that this mech was his son, much like he could tell with Smokescreen. He could also tell that Prowl had been deeply affected by his "death" and needed this closeness at the moment.

Prowl finally managed to pull himself together enough to pull back from his carrier. "I don't understand. How is this possible?"

Ratchet smiled at his son. "It's a bit of a story, Prowl, and one I will gladly tell you later."

Prowl nodded in agreement. When he had asked his mate to look into his carrier's "death", he had never expected to find his carrier alive and well. Of course, he wasn't complaining about that fact.

"Oh! You're back online, Sire."

Prowl looked up at the sound of his son's voice and was shocked to see a red and blue femme Seekerling, who looked to be about an orn old, sitting on his son's shoulder.

Ratchet smiled. "Prowl, I don't think you have met your little sister, Lightshow. Lightshow, this is your older brother, Prowl."

Lightshow's optics brightened. "You're Blue's sire, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am." Prowl glanced at his carrier. "Then the sparklings are-"

"Alive and well." Ratchet finished.

Lightshow jumped from Bluestreak's shoulder, scaring every mech in the room except Ratchet. The little femme landed gracefully on her feet before bounding over to Prowl. "So, are you Smokescreen's brother?"

"Yes. I am. We're twins." Prowl replied.

"Like Lightshow and me." Hot Rod had gotten over to them rather quickly, too.

"It would seem so. And who are you?" Prowl asked, smiling at the little mechling.

"And I'm Springer!"

Prowl was surprised to see two mechlings. Where did the green mechling come from since Hot Rod had stated that he and Lightshow were twins?

:**Prowler, doc adopted Springer when he was still a sparkling. He's six groon older than Hot Rod and Lightshow. He also doesn't know he's adopted, so keep quiet about that fact.**: Jazz told him through their bond.

Prowl was grateful for the update. "Well, it's great to finally meet all of you."

Optimus smiled, glad to see Prowl so happy and grief-free. None of them had been that way since Ratchet had been thought dead. Ratchet being alive was healing the hole that had been left in their family.

"So, what happened, Carrier? Where've ya been?" Smokescreen asked.

"Ya know, why don't I take these three back and play wit' 'em?" Jazz knew that the three younglings did not need to hear what was about to be said.

"A good idea." Optimus agreed.

Once Jazz had the three in the room, Ratchet told the three Praxians what he knew from Arcee about what had happened an orn ago. He didn't leave out a single detail.

When his carrier was done, Smokescreen laughed. "So, we've got two more surrogate brothers to meet then." Like always, he took things in stride.

"I suppose you do." Ratchet agreed.

Prowl frowned. He was conflicted about Arcee. On one hand, he was grateful that she had saved his carrier's life. On the other, he was angry that she had kept him away from them for so long. The Praxian figured that he could consider this later. After all, Arcee hadn't actually done anything wrong. She made decisions based on what she thought she knew and, logically speaking, her actions made perfect sense.

"Well, memory or not, we're all glad to have you back, Grand-Carrier." Bluestreak stated as he hugged the medic from behind.

Ratchet chuckled. "And I'm glad to be here." He hadn't been sure he would be when they first came to Iacon, but now he knew that he was very glad to be here with his family.

* * *

After Prowl, Smokescreen, and Bluestreak had finally managed to tear themselves away from Ratchet, the three left with Jazz, knowing that they were all taking a cycle off from work so that they could spend the day with Ratchet. It was what they all wanted.

Ratchet was emotionally exhausted after meeting Jazz, Optimus, his creators, Prowl, Smokescreen, and Bluestreak. As much as he would have liked to have met others, he needed a break.

Optimus, as always, seemed to know this. He had always known what his mate could handle and what he could not handle. Plus, he could tell that their younglings were also tired and needed rest as well. "Why don't you rest? You can meet the rest of the family tomorrow."

Ratchet looked at the Prime gratefully. "I think that's best. I'm not sure I could handle anymore family." He sighed. "Who's left, anyway?"

"There's your brother and sister. Then there's also my creators and my brothers." Optimus answered.

Ratchet nodded in understanding. "Elita-1 is my sister, right?"

Optimus knew exactly what Ratchet was thinking about. "Ratchet, about me and Elita-" Optimus started.

Ratchet raised a hand to stop him. "Not in front of them." He nodded to their creations.

Optimus agreed with him on that. This wasn't something that young audios needed to hear about. He noticed just how tired the three looked. "Should they be put to berth now?"

"They should have some energon and then I think it would be a good idea. They have had an exciting day." Ratchet answered.

Optimus nodded in agreement. He then got up and went to get energon for them. He had three smaller cubes for the three younglings since he watched Jetfire and Jetstorm for Wheeljack and Skyfire from time to time. Once he had the cubes filled, he handed them to the younglings.

The three had not realized how low on energy they were until they started drinking their energon.

Ratchet frowned. "Why do you have three small cubes?"

Optimus laughed. "I have them for when I watch Jetfire and Jetstorm." He thought about the two younglings for a moment. "In fact, they are only three groon older than Hot Rod and Lightshow."

Ratchet was looking forward to being able to meet his nephews. He allowed a smile to cross his lips. "Well, I think they'll all get along since they're around the same age."

"I'm sure they will." Optimus knew for a fact that Jetfire and Jetstorm would love the fact that there would be other younglings around their age living in the palace. He just hoped Ratchet would remain with him in Iacon for that to happen.

Even though the younglings had had energon, they were still tired. It had been a long day for them, so they were ready to get some recharge.

"Looks like I'd better put them into the berth." Ratchet started to get up only to be stopped by Optimus.

"Let me." Optimus really wanted to do this. He had already missed enough of their younglings' lives. He didn't want to miss anymore.

Ratchet nodded and sat back. "Just make sure to put them in the same berth. They'll recharge easier with each other for the time being since this is a new place for them."

Optimus nodded before he got the younglings and took them to one of the berth rooms.

Ratchet then leaned back against the couch and offlined his optics for a few moments. This had been a lot more emotionally draining than he had originally thought it would be. He was glad to be back home where his family was, but he was tired. He hadn't thought that he would be so tired after this. He would be going to recharge himself before long.

But he wanted to talk to the Prime without the younglings listening in before he went into recharge. There were just some things they needed to talk about.

A few moments later, Ratchet heard the Prime come out of the berth room, so he onlined his optics to look at him.

"They went into recharge quickly." Optimus said. He had barely gotten them into the berth and covered up before all three were in recharge, curled up around each other.

"I imagine so. They were rather tired from the events of today. I'll probably go into recharge rather quickly myself." Ratchet stated.

"Ratchet, if you need to go on and get some rest, then do so." Optimus certainly didn't want Ratchet being too tired or stay up simply because of him.

Ratchet shook his helm. "No. There are some things that we need to talk about."

Optimus knew what one of them was. "Ratchet, I want you to know that there was nothing real between Elita and myself. We had been together for so long that Elita saw me as a brother. And while she was known as my consort, we were friends at least and siblings at most."

Ratchet nodded. "I know all this Optimus. Arcee told me about that, and that had pretty much become common knowledge."

Optimus supposed that that was true. It wasn't much of a secret once the Senate found out that Optimus and Elita didn't have a true, intimate relationship. It was for show and to keep the Senate off the Prime's back.

"I honestly was more wondering where we go from here." Ratchet stated. He knew exactly where his spark wanted all of this to go.

Optimus was more than a bit surprised by that as he hadn't expected Ratchet to want to even consider anything that might resemble a relationship at this moment. Of course, that didn't mean that the Prime wasn't willing to talk about it since Ratchet brought it up. "For one, Ratchet, I was hoping that you would consider moving here to Iacon." Primus knew he didn't want his family somewhere else now.

Ratchet nodded. "I had already assumed that much, Optimus. And I wouldn't think of taking Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer away from here. It wouldn't be fair to anybot here or to them." He smiled. "And in all honestly, I'm not entirely sure I could be happy in Creon. I've found my family here, and I don't think I could walk away from that now. Doesn't mean I wouldn't want to visit Creon from time to time since I do have many good friends there along with Breakdown and Knock Out."

"Who's Knock Out?" Optimus asked.

"Knock Out's a medic that I helped train there. He's also in a relationship with Breakdown." Ratchet answered.

Optimus already knew that Breakdown, like Bulkhead, was like another son to Ratchet, which made sense on why he would want to go to Creon to visit them.

"Back to the subject I wanted to talk about. You and me." Ratchet stated.

Optimus hesitated a moment, but remembered that Ratchet had always appreciated honesty and figured that that was something that Ratchet would still appreciate. "In all honesty, Ratchet, what I want is for us to be together again." He reached over and placed a hand on top of Ratchet's. "You don't know how hard this last orn has been for me. I honestly never thought I would see you again until you showed up here." He sighed. "I know that this is a lot for you to take in and consider, Ratchet. You don't remember who I am, so actually wanting to get into a relationship with me isn't something I expect right away. I would just hope that you would at least think about something like that." Primus knew Optimus probably wouldn't be able to stand it if Ratchet didn't want to start a relationship with him. The Prime felt as if the relationship had never ended, although he knew that for Ratchet, there was no relationship that he could remember.

Ratchet thought about the Prime's words a moment. His logic circuits told him that it would be a bad idea to immediately trust a mech that he did not know, even if that mech was the Prime. His logic circuits told him that it was far too soon to trust a mech he couldn't remember and that he should guard himself carefully when dealing with all these new bots that he was meeting.

But his spark, as had been the case since learning the truth from Arcee, was in conflict with his processors. His spark told him that there was nothing to fear from the bots that he was meeting. And his spark also told him that this mech in front of him was the one that made him whole, that this mech had always held his spark. The medic could already feel a great deal of love for this mech, and he could easily see just how much this mech, the Prime, loved him.

Ratchet had considered something and made a choice. "Optimus, would you mind if I did something?"

"Of course not." Optimus removed his hand, thinking that Ratchet wanted to go check on the younglings or even go to berth himself.

Instead, Ratchet reached over and took the Prime's face in his hands before he leaned forward and kissed the Prime.

Optimus was shocked at the sudden kiss, having not expected it. It had been far too long since the last time he had been kissed by his mate, and the feel of Ratchet's lips on his was more than he had ever thought he would feel. It felt wonderful, and the Prime wrapped his arms around his mate's waist to pull him closer, wanting to feel Ratchet against him again.

Ratchet slid his hands down the Prime's face to wrap his arms around Optimus's neck as he flicked his glossa over the red and blue mech's lips.

Optimus couldn't stop the whimper from escaping him as he opened his mouth, willingly letting Ratchet deepen the kiss.

Ratchet slipped his glossa into the Prime's mouth, roaming around the cavern that was both familiar and not familiar. His spark recognized it while his processors did not. The moan he heard come from the Prime only served to make the medic shiver, enjoying hearing the Prime moan.

Optimus tightened his arms around the medic as he touched his glossa against Ratchet's, curling his around the medic's own.

It was Ratchet who groaned into the kiss this time as he fought Optimus for dominance in the kiss for only a moment before he allowed Optimus to take control of the kiss. He moaned as he felt the Prime explore his mouth.

Optimus hadn't thought he would ever be able to do this ever again. He most certainly hadn't thought that Ratchet would have allowed it this soon, but he wasn't about to question a gift when he saw it. He mapped out the cavern that he had once known so well as he lightly trailed his fingers over Ratchet's frame, loving the fact that he was able to hold and kiss this mech once more.

Ratchet was becoming overwhelmed by the emotions that were pouring through him at the way the Prime made him feel by simply kissing him along with the way those hands felt trailing over his frame. It was becoming too much, and he knew that if he didn't stop now, he wouldn't be able to stop at all. He started to pull away.

Optimus recognized this and immediately stopped, breaking the kiss. He didn't want to push things too far too fast. This was more than he would have thought would happen for him, and he wasn't about to ruin it.

Ratchet vented heavily for a few moments, trying to clear his processors and steady himself after the rather heated kiss.

Optimus himself needed to calm himself. He had thoroughly enjoyed the kiss, and he had yet to released his hold on Ratchet. Had Ratchet acted as if he wanted to be let go, he would have done so in a moment, but he didn't let go of Ratchet since the medic hadn't acted as if he wanted the Prime to let him go.

"I'm sorry. That was out of line." Ratchet should have told the Prime he planned to kiss him before he actually did kiss him. He had just felt a great need to kiss this mech, and he hadn't been able to resist.

"Don't apologize, Ratchet." Optimus had to stop himself from kissing the medic again. It was a fight that he found rather hard to win. "I don't mind. I'm just surprised, all things considered."

Ratchet smirked, an expression Optimus recognized all too well. "You certainly didn't act surprised."

Optimus felt his faceplates heat up. "Yes, well, kissing you is a natural reaction for me. On top of the fact that it's been so long since the last time I was able to kiss you."

"I suppose so." Ratchet was quiet a moment as he considered how to word his next few statements. "I have mentioned before that while I have no actual memory of any of you that my spark seems to know who all of you are. That's the honest truth. I don't have any memory of you, but my spark does remember. Logically speaking, I shouldn't believe that you were once my mate or that you are the sire of my younglings without proof."

"CNA scans." Optimus had honestly expected Ratchet to want them done.

"Exactly. The thing is that I don't need them done to tell me that you are their sire or that you were my mate. I know that just because it's what my spark tells me." Ratchet laughed. "It's strange I'm going on it because I'm normally-"

"Extremely logic-processored." Optimus smiled. "I know that. You were like that before we entered into a relationship. You started to listen more to your spark and your emotions then."

Ratchet nodded. "The point is that I already know what you meant to me back then. I can't remember the memories, but I know what I felt for you. I know that I did love you."

That both made Optimus and glad and hurt him. It made him glad because it meant Ratchet did know how he had felt about the Prime, but it had hurt him at the same time because of the past tense way Ratchet spoke of those feelings.

"And I don't need somebot telling me that you love me. I already know that you do. I can easily tell from how you've been acting." Ratchet paused a moment before continuing. "I suppose I need to correct something. I didn't mean to say it in the past. I do still love you. I can tell that now. With time and getting to know you, I'll probably learn why."

Optimus was stunned by that admission. "You're sure?" He really needed to know because he had been through a lot and needed to know for sure if Ratchet meant what he said or not.

"I don't say things that I don't mean. And, as odd as it sounds considering the fact I can't remember who you are, I do know I love you. I admit I was skeptical about all this back in Creon. After all, you are the Prime, so what you would see in a medic is beyond me." Ratchet stated.

Optimus raised a hand to caress Ratchet's cheek. "Don't sell yourself short, Ratchet. I fell in love with you for a reason, and that didn't change when I became Prime. You're the only one that I would ever truly want as my mate."

"The moment I saw you, in person, I just knew that I loved you. The saying the spark never forgets what the processors does is true. My spark never forgot what the truth was. My spark never forgot you. And this just feels too right not to act on it." Ratchet smiled. "I'll learn in time why I fell in love with you. And you never know. I may start to regain my memory being here in a place that I would have been in before I lost my memories and surrounded by the bots that I interacted with a on a daily basis. I can't say for sure if that will happen or not."

Optimus held Ratchet close to himself. "Don't worry about it, Ratchet. What matters to me right now is that you are here and you are alive. I can't say that I don't wish you had your memories, but having you alive means more. Besides, we can always make new memories, right?"

Ratchet smiled. "I suppose so." He then made a quick decision as he leaned in and kissed Optimus again, who happily kissed him back without the surprise this time around. Ratchet then pulled away before murmuring, "And I think a relationship is a good idea."

Optimus was glad to hear that. He hadn't thought anything could make him happier than to know that Ratchet and his creations were alive, but he realized that knowing that Ratchet wanted to actually be with him made him happier.

* * *

Ratchet had been right in his assumption that he would easily fall into recharge. He was in recharge almost the moment that he had laid down on the berth. He had had a long and emotionally draining cycle, which had only served to make recharge easy for him.

Optimus had been rather surprised when Ratchet had agreed to share the Prime's berth with him. He had expected that Ratchet would have wanted to wait a while for that, but he wasn't about to say no to his mate. He would be more than happy to share his berth with his mate. It would be the first time in an orn that it didn't feel like his berth was much too big.

As Optimus lay there next to his recharging mate, he couldn't help but be thankful for all that he had been given that cycle. He had an arm wrapped around the medic and had pulled the medic close to him, not wishing for Ratchet to be far from him.

Touching Ratchet, holding him, kissing him, and simply being able to see him were things that the Prime had thought would only happen in his dreams. He had never thought that he would be able to do so in reality, and he was more than happy that he was able to do just that.

"Thank you, Primus. For everything." Optimus murmured. This was not something that the Prime had prayed for because it was something that he hadn't thought would ever happen, but he was grateful that he had been given this great gift.

Optimus held Ratchet tightly against his own frame as he buried his faceplates into the back of Ratchet's neck, slowly falling into recharge himself. He was content for the first time in quite some time, and he was able to recharge peacefully knowing that he had his family back.

* * *

Leave a comment and let me know what you thought!


	11. Chapter 11

Love all the support!

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 11

The following morning, Optimus came out of recharge to the sensation of warmth in his arms. He onlined his optics and glanced down to find Springer and Lightshow were both cuddled up against his chest plates, deep in recharge. The Prime allowed a content, loving smile to cross his lips at the sight of two of his creations snuggled up against. He hadn't thought this would happen for him. He then raised his optics to see that Ratchet was still in the berth as well, and he knew that Hot Rod was on the other side of Ratchet, most likely snuggled up against his carrier.

It had been the middle of the night when Optimus had been roused from recharge by Ratchet, who had merely motioned to the three younglings who were peering into the room at the door. Optimus hadn't cared that the younglings wanted to recharge with them and had been amazed at just how quickly the three had ran over to them and climbed into the berth as well. Optimus had been forced to release his hold on Ratchet as Springer and Lightshow immediately settled down between their creators while Hot Rod had chosen to recharge on the other side of Ratchet.

Optimus hadn't thought that he would ever be awakening to his family in the berth with him, but he was thrilled that he was experiencing that feeling for the first time. And he hoped he would be able to experience it a great deal more.

The Prime had chosen to simply lay there and enjoy the fact that his family was there with him for the time being. He could afford to remain in the berth for a while longer.

"How did you recharge?" Ratchet suddenly asked.

Optimus was surprised as he had thought that Ratchet was still in recharge. "Well, actually. Better than I have in a long time." He pursed his lips before asking, "How long have you been out of recharge?"

"About half a joor." Ratchet answered.

Optimus was a bit surprised by that. "That long?"

Ratchet chuckled. "It's not the first time, either. When you're raising three younglings, you learn to recharge as late as you can every chance you get. Once they get up, you get up."

Optimus supposed that he would learn that himself in the coming cycles. He had to admit that he was looking forward to that.

Ratchet slowly shifted until he was able to move Hot Rod out of his arms and then the medic managed to get out of the berth without rousing his son from recharge.

Optimus himself moved out of the berth, taking care to not disturb Lightshow and Springer as he did so. He watched as the three younglings seemed to cuddle up to each other with the loss of their creators' warmth.

Ratchet then left the room quietly with Optimus following him.

"Do they recharge with you often?" Optimus asked curiously.

"No. In the early days of their younglinghood they did, but not now. Mostly this came from simply being in an unfamiliar place." Ratchet smiled. "Other than that, the only time they recharge with me is when they are ill."

Optimus couldn't say he minded it. He went over to the dispenser before he got two cubes of energon and handed one of them to Ratchet. "How did you recharge?"

"Well, actually. I was rather tired from all the bots I met yesterday." Ratchet took a sip of his energon. "And I know that I am nowhere near done."

"No. I thought you could meet the rest of the family today. I'm sure your brother and sister are going to want to see that you're alive as are my creators." Optimus smiled. "And I'm certain that they would like to meet their grand-creations as well."

Ratchet smiled as well. "I suppose they will." He took another sip of his energon. "And considering the fact that they didn't want to leave yesterday, I get the feeling that I'll be seeing a lot of Prowl, Bluestreak, and Smokescreen."

"Indeed. And you'll still need to meet Hot Shot, Smokescreen's mate, and Dropkick, their sparkling. There's also Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, who Bluestreak plans to bond with."

Ratchet nodded. "Sounds like a full day."

"It will be." Optimus assured him.

It wasn't long before the three younglings had made their way out of the berth room, looking a little bleary.

Ratchet smiled at them before switching the video feed to a cartoon that all of them liked to watch and said, "Come on over here and watch your cartoons."

The three younglings instantly climbed onto the couch while Ratchet headed over to the energon dispenser. Optimus helped Ratchet get the energon. The two then handed the cubes to the three younglings.

While the three younglings drank their energon and watched their cartoons, Optimus and Ratchet talked a bit more.

"Are you going to have to work this cycle?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus chuckled. "Unless I'm needed at Senate meetings, I do all my work in my office here. On a few occasions, I go to the Iacon military base, but I remain here for the most part." He smiled. "And I think I can afford to take another cycle off."

"Are you certain? I don't want to be the reason that you get behind." Ratchet told him.

"Ratchet, Fixit who is our medic in the palace will be happy as can be to learn I took a few cycles off. He hounds me constantly about the fact that I need to rest more and take more time to relax." Optimus told him.

"Ah! In other words, you need the time off." Ratchet stated.

"For more than one reason." Optimus knew that taking the cycle off would do as much good for his health as spending time with Ratchet and his creations would do for his spark.

"Sire?"

Optimus's attention shifted to Hot Rod, who had spoken to him. "Yes, Hot Rod?"

"If Swiftwind and Starlight are our grand-creators because they're carrier's creators, does that mean that your creators are our grand-creators as well?" Hot Rod asked.

Optimus was a bit surprised by the question. "Yes. They are."

"Can we meet them?" Springer asked excitedly, loving the prospect of having more grand-creators.

Optimus chuckled. "You will meet them today, Springer. I promise you that."

Ratchet smiled, knowing that they were excited at the idea of meeting more family. He was glad that he had decided to come here and be reunited with his family. It was a nice feeling to have family, even though he would always consider Breakdown and Bulkhead sons and would always consider Knock Out and Arcee family, even if some of his family would have issues with Arcee for keeping him a secret from them for so long.

There was a sudden rapid knock on their door.

Ratchet was a bit confused by that, but Optimus was far from confused. He knew without a doubt just what bot or rather mech was at the door.

"Come on in, Bluestreak." Optimus called.

The door opened, and Bluestreak came bounding into the room. "Morning!" He was extremely cheerful, even more cheerful than usual.

Optimus couldn't stop the amused smile that crossed his lips. He had a feeling that it would take a lot to bring the grey Praxian mech down at the moment. He wondered if that would even be possible. The Prime had no doubt that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were completely shocked by Bluestreak's overly cheerfulness as the grey mech had not acted this happy since they had heard of Ratchet's "death". Optimus briefly wondered if Sideswipe and Sunstreaker would revert to performing various pranks daily again since those had all but stopped since Ratchet had been thought lost.

"Morning, Grand-Carrier!" Bluestreak instantly bounded over to Ratchet to give him a big hug.

"Uh, morning." Ratchet was a bit taken off guard by Bluestreak's cheerfulness, though he felt as if this was completely normal. He accepted a comm from Optimus when it was sent.

:_Bluestreak always seems to be overly cheerful, but I believe that the news that you are alive has made him even more cheerful._: Optimus explained.

:_Ah. That makes sense._: Ratchet replied.

"Hi, Bluestreak!" Lightshow liked the grey Praxian a lot.

Bluestreak smiled before bounding over to the younglings.

"That will take some getting used to." Ratchet murmured.

Optimus chuckled before slipping an arm around Ratchet's waist unconsciously. "You will, and you'll learn to love that about Bluestreak."

"Bluestreak! What in the Pit is wrong with you!" an annoyed voice snapped.

Ratchet frowned, not liking the fact that that language was being used where his younglings could hear it. They didn't need to hear such at their age. Which was why he had to watch what he said when he got pissed off at Bulkhead and Breakdown in the past.

Looked like Ratchet would be meeting Sunstreaker and most likely Sideswipe earlier than Optimus had originally planned.

"What's up, Blue? Why are you coming to see Optimus so early?" Sideswipe asked as he and Sunstreaker entered the room.

Bluestreak looked up with a smile.

Sunstreaker looked plain-out annoyed, which seemed to be a permanent expression for the mech. He then noticed the three younglings. "Whose younglings?"

Sideswipe looked up and froze. He was sure that he was seeing Ratchet. He looked from the medic to the obviously at ease and happy Prime to his future mate, who was beaming and back to the medic. Once he was sure it was real, he reacted. "RATCHET!" The red and black mech then vaulted over the couches to jump at the medic and hug him tightly. "I don't believe it! You're alive!"

Sunstreaker looked on in shock, not at his twin's actions, but at the fact that Ratchet was alive. How was he alive? He was pretty sure they had been told Ratchet was dead. The broken bonds pretty much assured that.

Ratchet, while feeling a great deal of love and affection for this mech, was a bit stunned to find a wave of annoyance at the mech and felt an incredible urge to slam a wrench down into his helm. That couldn't be normal. Could it?

Lightshow tilted her helm to the side as she looked from the red and black mech to the golden mech across the room. "Who are you?"

"We're Bluestreak's-" Sunstreaker stated.

"NO!" Optimus and Bluestreak shouted in horror at the same time, fearing Sunstreaker was about to lovers. That was **NOT** what they needed since it would piss Ratchet off and probably have wrenches flying across the room.

"Friends." Sunstreaker finished.

Bluestreak felt relief at what he said. He was sure Sunstreaker was about to die by a wrench if he had said lovers.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge before looking at the Prime. "What was that about?"

"I'll tell you later." Optimus muttered, relieved at Sunstreaker's modesty in this.

"What? It's not like he'd say we're Blue's lovers." Sideswipe stated.

Optimus and Bluestreak looked at Sideswipe in horror at what he had just dared to say in front of three younglings. Ratchet's younglings no less.

A growl escaped Ratchet's vocalizer. That was worse than the foul language.

Sideswipe grinned at Ratchet. "Sorry."

A moment later, Sideswipe found himself on the ground with an aching helm from where Ratchet had hit him in the helm with a wrench. Hard.

"See the doc all of two kliks and Sides' is already gettin' beamed in the helm." Jazz said, grinning from behind Sunstreaker at the downed mech.

Prowl sighed. "A new record, I believe."

Hot Rod looked confused. "What's a lover?"

"Nothing!" Optimus, Bluestreak, Prowl, and Jazz stated quickly.

"Hot Rod, you don't need to know about that right now. That's something only adults need to know about." Ratchet told him, glaring down at the red and black mech with a look that could kill.

Sideswipe backed up until he hit Bluestreak's legs. "Sorry." It was a squeak that would have normally humiliated the red and black mech, but at this point, all he cared about was making it out of this room in one piece.

:Idiot.: Sunstreaker muttered through their twin bond.

:I didn't think!: Sideswipe protested.

:You never do.: Sunstreaker retorted. The yellow mech acted as if he didn't care that Ratchet was back and alive when in fact he was very happy. He and Sideswipe hadn't had the kindest of creators, so the two had come to see Optimus and Ratchet as creator figures as the two treated them much better than their creators had. He was also glad because it meant Bluestreak and Prowl were going to be a lot happier now.

"Wonderful start to the cycle." Ratchet muttered.

Optimus walked over and wrapped an arm around Ratchet. "Calm down, Ratchet. It'll be fine. No bot else will make statements like that, and Sideswipe won't again." He cast a hard glance at the mech in question. "Right?"

Sideswipe nodded frantically. "Yes! Yes! No more statements like that! Promise!"

Ratchet glared at him again before putting his wrench away.

That act was a relief to everybot in the room, although they all knew that Ratchet could wipe the wrench out and have it sailing across the room within a few astroseconds. Scratch that. In less than an astrosecond.

"Uh, Grand-Carrier, this is Sideswipe," Bluestreak motioned to the mech that was at his feet, "and that's Sunstreaker." He motioned to where the gold mech was standing. He didn't need to explain their relationship since Sideswipe had done that spectacularly. And nearly died by Ratchet's wrench in the process.

"And how long have you been-friends?" Ratchet wasn't about to say lovers. That wasn't a road he wanted to travel down with his younglings. Not at their age.

"Almost two vorn." Bluestreak replied. He then smiled brightly. "We're planning our bonding celebration now. This means that you'll be able to attend!" He then bounded over to hug Ratchet tightly once more. "This is so great! I hadn't even considered that before now! I had been upset because I didn't think that you'd get to attend, but now that you're here, you'll be able to!"

Ratchet was still a bit overwhelmed by Bluestreak's cheerfulness and excitability. The rambling, which he had already figured out Bluestreak had a habit of, didn't faze him at all since Lightshow seemed to be worse than he was.

"Hope ya don't mind us comin' by." Jazz told them.

"Of course not, Jazz." Optimus had a feeling that his quarters as gong to become overflowed by all the family members that were going to constantly by coming by so that they would be able to see Ratchet. The recharge cycle was the only time that Optimus's quarters would be down to just him, Ratchet, and their younglings.

"So, who are these little guys?" Sideswipe asked as he stood up to peer over the couch down at the three younglings.

Ratchet was more than a bit surprised that the three hadn't already been in the middle of them all the way they were. "These are mine and Optimus's younglings."

Sideswipe looked back excitedly. "So the sparklings-"

"Yes. They are those very sparklings." Ratchet replied.

"I'm Springer. What do you do?" Springer asked.

"I'm a soldier in the military. So is Sunny."Sideswipe replied.

Sunstreaker growled. "Do not call me Sunny!" He hated when Sideswipe called him that in public. It was so embarrassing!

Lightshow had climbed off the couch and wandered over to Sunstreaker. "Your paint is shiny."

"Of course it is. I make sure to wax every morning." Sunstreaker retorted.

Ratchet frowned at his haughtiness.

Optimus squeezed Ratchet. "You'll learn that that's just Sunstreaker's personality. He's like that to everybot."

Lightshow tilted her helm to the side as she looked up at Sunstreaker. "You look a lot like the sun."

Sunstreaker looked down at her incredulously. "I look like what?"

Most every bot in the room managed to hide their snickers and smirks at that statement. All except for Jazz who was grinning like an idiot.

Lightshow then smiled brightly. "I know! I can call you Sunshine!"

"WHAT!" Sunstreaker looked horrified at that very thought.

Jazz fell onto his aft he laughed so hard at both the nickname Lightshow had come up with and the way Sunstreaker had reacted. The saboteur so wished he could have seen Sunstreaker's faceplates at that moment.

Sideswipe saw them and laughed so hard he fell back down at the expression on his twin's face. It was a look of utter horror that Sideswipe knew he would never forget.

Bluestreak couldn't stop the laughs that were escaping him, although he actually managed to stay on his feet.

Prowl smirked at that fact, loving just how uncomfortable the gold mech really was. It was so satisfying after all the grief Sunstreaker had given him over the vorns he had known the mech.

Optimus couldn't stop his own chuckles at that.

"That's Lightshow, Sunstreaker." Bluestreak managed. He smiled. "And I love that nickname."

"No! No! No! You are not calling me that!" Sunstreaker protested. He'd never live this down, and his reputation would be utterly ruined.

Hot Rod watched Sunstreaker curiously. "What's wrong with Sunshine?"

Sunstreaker looked absolutely horrified at that. "Stop calling me that!"

Ratchet had to cover his mouth. He wondered if he should mention to Sunstreaker that when Lightshow came up with a nickname, she tended to call them that.

Prowl finally made his way around the rest of his family and over to his carrier. "Now that you have met my future pains-in-law."

"Oh, come on, Prowl!" Sideswipe grinned at the black and white Praxian. "You know that you love us!"

Prowl glanced at the mech in question. "I tolerate you." He then turned his focus back to Ratchet, who appeared thoughtful.

"Should I be concerned that I have this overwhelming urge to constantly have a wrench in my hand to throw at those two?" Ratchet asked.

"No. You always did before." Prowl answered.

"Used it more often than not." Optimus added. He chuckled. "Only bot I know that could hit two bots in the helm with the same wrench in one throw."

"He was given plenty of chances to perfect it." Jazz added.

So it seemed that throwing wrenches was simply a part of his personality. Ratchet was glad to learn that about himself.

"How are you adjusting to being here?" Prowl asked.

"It's different than what I am used to." Ratchet admitted. He most certainly wasn't used to the opulence of the palace of the Prime. "I'll take some time to get used to this place, but I think I'll manage."

Prowl couldn't help but notice that his sire seemed to remain close to Ratchet, which wasn't unusual given the length of time they had all spent believing that Ratchet was dead. What caught the Praxian's attention was the fact that Optimus was standing so close to Ratchet that their EM fields would have most certainly mixed. And Optimus seemed to keep his arm around Ratchet, a signal that there was much more than a simple understanding about the situation between them. That was something Prowl would broach them on later.

* * *

Elita and Wheeljack had both been rather surprised when they received a comm from Optimus that afternoon asking them to come to his quarters as there was something that he wished to speak to them about. The two couldn't imagine what it was that the Prime wished to talk to them about, but the two had gone toward the Prime's quarters anyway.

"So, any idea what this is about 'Lita?" Wheeljack asked as he walked beside his sister toward Optimus's quarters.

"I don't have a clue, Wheeljack. I know about as much as you do." The pink femme frowned. "I just don't understand why Optimus would want just the two of us there."

"Maybe he's learned something else involving Ratchet." Wheeljack suggested. The mech felt a pain in his spark as he thought of his lost brother. He missed Ratchet a great deal. He even missed Ratchet yelling at him every time he had an invention that backfired on him. And, oddly enough, Wheeljack missed the wrenches to the helm he'd always get when he tried to say that he had been sure that whatever project he had been working on would work. He wasn't a masochist on any level, but he missed that simply because it was something that only Ratchet would do. And he missed his brother a great deal.

"I doubt it. I'm sure that Optimus would have told us with our creators if something was going on." Elita knew that, in addition to that reason, she also knew that she would be informed when Optimus told Galvatron and Megatron what was going on since all three would need to be told because of the hierarchy of command.

"Huh. Can't imagine what it is." Wheeljack murmured.

Elita couldn't be sure what it was either. All she knew was that if the Prime had decided to give in and court one of the senators' daughters, she was going to take her blaster to the mech's helm. There was no way she was going to allow the Senate to roughshod the Prime into doing something, or in this case, courting somebot that he really didn't want anything to do with. It was why she had remained with him so long, and she wasn't going to let the Prime do that to himself.

The two arrived at their brother-in-law's quarters, and Elita knocked on the door to let the Prime know that they were there.

A moment later, the door to the room opened. Optimus stood there with a smile on his face. "Wheeljack. Elita. Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Uh, no problem." Wheeljack was a little uneasy due to the fact that he could feel such joy and contentment radiating from the Prime's EM field. It was something that he had not felt from the red and blue mech since before Ratchet was captured by the Quintessons.

Elita was also shocked at the change in the Prime's demeanor. He had been nowhere near this happy or content when she had moved out of the Prime's quarters. In fact, he had still radiated pain, grief, anger, and loss. What could have changed in such a short amount of time to make him like this? The pink femme had thought that the Prime would never be this happy ever again.

"Please, come in." Optimus stepped aside to let them enter his quarters. He knew that they, much like all the others, were shocked by his change in demeanor. He also knew that that question would be answered the moment that they stepped into the room.

Elita and Wheeljack made their way into the Prime's quarters only to freeze the moment that they saw the white and orange mech standing in the room in front of them. Both had known that their brother had been killed by Shadowstrike, so how in the Pit was it that he was standing in front of them alive and well?

"RATCHET!" Wheeljack's helm fins lit up bright white in his shock as he stared at his very much alive spark twin. A spark twin that he could not even feel in his spark.

Ratchet looked at the mech and instantly knew, without a doubt, that this was his spark twin. He smiled at the mech before saying, "Hello, Wheeljack. I believe that it has been quite some time since we last saw each other."

Wheeljack stood stock still for all of half an astroseconds before he made it across the room to his brother, grabbing Ratchet in a tight hug. "Ratchet! I don't believe this! I thought you were dead!" He held his brother in a rather tight grip for a few a kliks before he pulled back to look at the medic in the faceplates. "Ratchet, how is this possible?"

"That is a bit of a story." Ratchet told him.

Having seen her brother standing in front of her and hearing him speak, it solidified in Elita's processors that this mech standing in front of her was her brother. Ratchet was alive! A smile spread across Elita's face as she rushed over to her brother and hugged Ratchet as well. "Ratchet! You're alive! Oh thank Primus you're alive!" It was an answer to prayers that she didn't think any of them had prayed, but she knew that they were all thanking Primus for the fact that Ratchet was alive.

Ratchet smiled at the pink femme as he wrapped an arm around his sister. "It's good to see you, too, Elita." He could feel from his spark's reaction that he loved his siblings very much, and he had a feeling that they were all very close.

Optimus smiled as he watched his mate's reunion with his siblings. He had known that Elita and Wheeljack would be greatly relieved to learn that Ratchet was alive. He had known that this was something that they, much like himself, had thought would never happen.

After a few moments, Wheeljack asked his question once more. "As much as I am thrilled that you are alive, Ratchet, how is it possible that you are alive? We all thought that you were dead."

"So I've been told." Ratchet let go of his siblings. "All right. This is what happened." He then told them everything from what Arcee had told him about the attack up until his return to Iacon with Arcee and Bulkhead.

"So, Arcee ended up saving your life." Wheeljack said.

"Ultimately, yes. Her actions did save my life. And she has been a great help to me this last orn." Ratchet told him honestly.

Elita decided then and there that she was going to do something nice for Arcee. The pink and blue femme had saved her brother's life and had helped take care of him while he had amnesia this last orn, which meant a lot to Elita. She wished that Ratchet would have been brought back to them sooner, but that couldn't be helped. And she did understand things from Arcee's perspective. Which meant that Elita was very much indebted to Arcee for what she had done for them all.

"You really can't remember us, though?" Wheeljack asked.

"No. I'm afraid I don't. Although I will admit that my spark seems to remember all of you." Ratchet replied.

Elita laughed. "Before you and Optimus got together, you would have never mentioned that. You would have said that the spark doesn't have memories, therefore it can't remember anything."

"So I was wrong." Ratchet retorted.

"Said that, too." Wheeljack stated, retracting his face mask and revealing his smiling faceplates.

"I know that you two wondered why I seemed so happy." Optimus said as he came up to stand beside Ratchet. "This is why."

Elita smiled. "Agreed. This is enough to make anybot happy." She then realized something. "Do our creators know you're alive?"

"Yes. I saw them last night and this morning." Ratchet answered.

"Yeah. Carrier ain't goin' a cycle without seeing ya now." Wheeljack remarked.

"That I believe." Ratchet agreed.

Elita then realized that Ratchet might think that she and Optimus were together or that she might have held an attraction for Optimus. She was going to have to set Ratchet straight on that fairly quickly. She wouldn't risk Optimus's chance of having a relationship with Ratchet again because of her.

Wheeljack's optics lit you. "You are going to have to meet Skyfire! And Jetfire and Jetstorm!" The inventor was thrilled that his sons were going to be able to get to know their uncle now. It was something that he thought would never happen.

"Yes. I am also looking forward to meeting my nephews. Optimus has told me about them." Ratchet smiled. "And I'm certain that they're going to love to meet Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod more than they are going to love meeting me."

"Who?" Elita had never heard those designations before.

"They are our younglings." Optimus answered happily.

"You mean the sparklings were fine?" Elita asked excitedly.

"Yes. Lightshow and Hot Rod came out of it all fine. No damage to them at all." Ratchet answered.

"Oh thank Primus!" Wheeljack was glad to hear that his niece and nephew were fine. And Jetfire and Jetstorm were going to get to meet their cousins and have playmates who were their age. "Who's Springer?"

"I adopted him as a sparkling. I've raised him as if he was my own." Ratchet replied.

"And Springer isn't aware of the fact that he's adopted so, keep it quiet." Optimus told them.

"Not a problem." Elita could see her brother adopting a sparkling who really needed him. And she could also see Optimus taking the youngling as his own. He did that with Prowl and Smokescreen. "Where are they?"

Ratchet motioned to one of the rooms. "In there taking a nap. Prowl, Smokescreen, Jazz, Bluestreak, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker were here this morning and then our creators came. Those three are exhausted and needed the rest."

"Do you think we could see them if we don't disturb them?" Elita asked. She really wanted to see her niece and nephews with her own optics.

Ratchet nodded. "Just try not to bring them out of recharge."

The two nodded before going over and opening the door. They could see that all three younglings were curled up together on the berth with Lightshow between her two brothers.

Quietly, Elita and Wheeljack closed the door and made their way back over to Ratchet and Optimus.

"They are just too cute! I can't wait to meet them." Elita said.

Wheeljack grinned. "Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker are going to be begging you to let them teach Lightshow to fly."

Ratchet frowned. "I know who Starscream is, but who are the others two?"

"Starscream's trine and brothers. They are all Seekers, meaning we'll probably need them to teach Lightshow to fly." Optimus added.

"That is true." Ratchet agreed.

"Well, I know one thing. We're all glad to have you back, Ratchet." Elita said.

Ratchet smiled. "I'm glad to be here, Elita."

Optimus was glad to hear that. Now that all of Ratchet's family knew, it was time to let his family know that Ratchet and their younglings were alive and well.

* * *

Nemesis Prime, Alpha Trion, Galvatron, Megatron, and Starscream were a little surprised when Optimus asked if they would meet him in the lounge near the younger Prime's quarters. It was completely unexpected and out of blue. Of course, they all met there.

"So, where is our little brother? He's the one who asked us to meet him here." Galvatron muttered from where he saw leaning against the wall.

"Calm yourself, Galvatron. I am certain that Orion will be here shortly. He is the Prime, so it could be work that has held him up." Nemesis told his son.

"Doubtful, Sire." Megatron was seated on one of the couches beside his mate. "Orion took this cycle off from his work. As far as I know, he hasn't set pede in his office. And I know he hasn't left the palace."

"Orion will be here soon." Alpha Trion told them. The archivist wondered what it was that his youngest wished to speak with them about. It had certainly been unexpected to be asked this since family get-to-togethers like this were usually planned a few cycles in advance to accommodate all their schedules. Such an impromptu gathering was rare for Optimus.

"Did he give any indication what this was about?" Starscream asked.

"None. He just said that there was something he needed to speak with us about." Nemesis replied.

Before another word could be said, the door to the lounge opened, and Optimus entered the room.

"About time, Orion." Galvatron stated.

"Galvatron!" Alpha Trion reprimanded.

"No, Carrier. I am late, and I'm sorry about that." Optimus told them.

All five then noticed that the red and blue Prime appeared to be in a rather upbeat and happy mood. It was a mood that they hadn't seen him in for quite some time. The change was incredible, especially since there wasn't a trace of pain or grief radiating from him, and that was something that had been a constant for the last orn. What had changed? And what could have made this kind of a difference?

"So, why did you ask us to meet you here?" Galvatron asked.

"There was somebot that I thought you would like to see." Optimus stepped aside so that his family could see the orange and white mech behind him.

The five mechs in the room were shocked to see Ratchet standing there in front of them, as they, like all the others, had grieved for Ratchet.

"Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Galvatron asked.

Somehow, that response from Galvatron did not surprise Optimus.

Alpha Trion, on the other hand, had a reaction that did surprise the Prime. The archivist had jumped up from his seat and rushed over to hug the white and orange mech. "This is a miracle!"

Ratchet was a bit stunned by this as Optimus had told him not to expect an overly emotional reaction from his family, especially his brothers.

Optimus himself was surprised. While the Prime knew that his carrier loved Ratchet a great deal, he had never seen his carrier act like this with Ratchet. Perhaps the affect that Ratchet's "death" had had on his carrier was much more profound than Optimus had realized. Or perhaps Alpha Trion had simply not allowed his creation to know how much losing Ratchet had affected him.

Ratchet hadn't really planned for this type of reaction from his in-laws, so he had simply decided to go with the flow. Not much more that he could do at the moment. "I'm glad to see you, too."

Nemesis looked from his youngest son to his mate and Ratchet and back to his son. Well, at least that explains the change in Optimus's demeanor.

Alpha Trion pulled away from Ratchet. "How is this possible? How are you alive, Ratchet? And where have you been for the last orn?"

Ratchet started to answer, but never got the chance.

"Hey! You look kinda like me!"

All optics ended up on the small red and blue femme Seekerling who was currently looking up at Starscream with bright blue optics.

Starscream stared down in shock. He loved sparklings and younglings, which was common with Seekers and Seeker-kin. Starscream loved Seeker sparklings and younglings a great deal for the simple fact he was able to teach them about being a Seeker. So he instantly fell in love with the small femme, who held his brother-in-law's colors, the Seeker realized. He reached down and picked her up. "And just who are you?"

"I'm Lightshow! Who are you?" The femme looked at him curiously.

"My designation is Starscream." Starscream replied.

Galvatron remembered that Ratchet and Optimus were supposed to have a femme Seekerling and a mech grounder when Ratchet was sparked. So this meant that- The purple mech turned to look at his brother. "Yours, I assume."

"Yes." Optimus hadn't even realized she had made it into the room.

Megatron then noticed that there were two mechlings, both grounders, peering into the room from behind Ratchet. "Them as well?"

"Yes. They are." Ratchet figured that explanations would just have to wait. "Come out, you two."

Hot Rod and Springer came out from behind their carrier to look at the other mechs that were in the room.

Springer immediately noticed the cannon attached to Megatron's arm and became fascinated by that. He bounded over to him. "That is a cool gun!"

Megatron smiled down at the mechling. "Yes. It is impressive, isn't it? Perhaps you'll have one some cycle."

"Not for a long time." Ratchet muttered under his breath.

Alpha Trion heard the mutter and smile. "That cycle will come much too soon for you. It came too soon for my taste with Megatron and Galvatron."

Hot Rod glanced back and forth between his sire and Nemesis Prime. He noticed that the tw looked exactly the same. The only difference was the fact that their colors were completely different. "You look like sire." He was looking at Nemesis when he spoke.

Nemesis chuckled. "Yes. We do look alike. That would be because I'm his sire."

Hot Rod instantly brightened. "So, you're my Grand-Sire?"

"Yes. I am." Nemesis answered, thrilled to finally have a grand-creation that he would be able to spoil.

Lightshow and Springer both heard this and made their way over.

"And this would be your Grand-Carrier." Optimus motioned to his carrier, glad to finally be able to introduce his family to them. Explanations could wait. Family reunions couldn't.

"That's great!" Lightshow instantly jumped into Alpha Trion's arms, startling the older mech. "I'm so glad to finally meet you! We met Carrier's creators yesterday, and now we get to meet you!"

Nemesis glanced at his son. "Yesterday?"

"We've had a busy few cycles." Optimus replied. He smiled. "Ratchet's family first."

That was understandable, Nemesis mused. He had seen just how much pain Ratchet's family had suffered and knew that they needed to know first. Though the question remained how any of this was possible. Not that the former Prime was going to question the fact that his son's mate and younglings were alive. Plus one youngling. Which would be explained later.

For now, Optimus's family was more than happy to get to know the three younglings. And quickly learned that Lightshow loved to ramble.

* * *

The three younglings had been put into their berth for the night and had fallen into recharge almost as soon as they were in the berth. They had had a long cycle of meeting new bots and playing with their newfound family members. It had worn them out, as much as the three loved the fact that they were meeting their family for the first time.

Optimus smiled at his creations as he shut the door to their berth room for the night. He then turned and headed for his own berth room, where Ratchet was already lying on the berth. The red and blue mech joined Ratchet in the berth, wrapping his arms around his mate. "Well, my family handled the news rather well. Much better than I had expected." He nuzzled the back of Ratchet's neck. "You'll have to get used to Megatron and Galvatron. They have never been overly emotional mechs. The greatest show of emotion that they normally have is anger."

"That I can see believe just from meeting them." Ratchet chuckled. "You were wrong about how your carrier would react, though."

"Agreed. I did not think my carrier would react in that way. Apparently, you two were closer than I was aware of." Optimus tightened his arms around Ratchet slightly. "I wonder if I should be worried about the fact that my mate and my carrier were so close."

"No need to worry about it now. Not like I can remember anything that he might have told me before." Ratchet replied.

"True." Optimus wished that Ratchet could remember his past though. "At least my family took everything we had to tell them in stride." Though the Prime was rather certain that he was going to hear about just how pissed off his brothers really were about how long Ratchet had been kept from them.

Ratchet turned to face his mate. "Why is it that no bot seems surprised by the fact that I adopted Springer? I thought it would have been more shocking."

Optimus smiled. "Because it's something that we all knew you would do." He reached out and caressed Ratchet's cheek. "While we never officially adopted any sparklings or younglings, there are those who we unofficially adopted. Jazz is an example. He had lost his creators not long after entering adolescence. When he became involved with Prowl, we unofficially adopted him. He looks at us as creators now. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are another set. They weren't raised by good creators, so we became creator figures to them as well. This was actually before they met Bluestreak. You came across them in their late youngling years. They were rough around the edges and had been abandoned. We took them in and raised them. We were different from how their creators had treated them, and I think they instantly grew attached to us, you especially."

"So, we're known for raising other sparklings or younglings." Ratchet stated.

"We never raised a sparkling, but younglings, yes. Hot Shot, Smokescreen's mate, sees us as creator figures even though his creators are still alive. There are quite a few others, who I am certain are going to be coming to the palace once they learn you are alive." Optimus stated.

"I believe I understand why no bot was shocked about Springer, then." Ratchet smiled. "I suppose that makes things a bit easier, though I dare say that there are a lot that I will be meeting."

"Not as many as you think, actually. There are six who would be coming here to meet you once they learn you are alive." Optimus stated.

"So, about ten in all." Ratchet mused.

"Yes. More that we had an influence on, but who we didn't actually aid in raising or caring for in any way. Regardless, we are known for raising other younglings. Springer's the first that you adopted." Optimus stated.

"What about you?" Ratchet asked.

"Even though we did not bond until after I became Prime, I did adopt Smokescreen and Prowl when they were still young. And I will legally adopt Springer, too." Optimus told him.

That spoke volumes to Ratchet. And made him feel more at ease. "Thank you."

Optimus leaned forward and kissed Ratchet gently. "You don't have to. I love you Ratchet, and I swore I'd go through life's journey with you. And Springer is a welcome part of that." He chuckled. "And I hope that, in time, we will add to the family."

Ratchet smiled. "Later, yes."

"Good." Optimus was glad to hear that.

"Considering you will have to, when are you telling the Senate I am alive?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus sighed. "As much as I would love for them not to know, I know they have to. Grindor, the head of the Senate, is actually one I trust. I'll inform him first. Something I plan to do tomorrow."

Ratchet nodded.

"You'll be meeting our friends tomorrow, but your family and mine will be sticking close to you." Optimus told him.

"I don't doubt that." Ratchet replied.

"And I'll try to spend time with all of you tomorrow." Optimus said.

"You have duties that you have to attend to, and I understand that. Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow are just going to have to get used to that as well." Ratchet said.

Optimus knew that that was true. "Regardless, I will make time."

Ratchet was glad of that.

The two mechs then settled down in the berth to get some recharge. They themselves had had a busy cycle and needed to get some recharge themselves.

It hadn't taken either of them long to fall into recharge.

* * *

Let me know what you thought!


	12. Chapter 12

**My family is planning to switch Internet providers, and it looks like we may not have Internet for a week or so. If I don't update, that's why. I'll keep writing and when we get the Internet back, I should be able to update then. Might be able to update all three of my stories.**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 12

Ratchet slowly came out of recharge feeling rather warm and content. He supposed that he should feel warm considering the larger frame that was lying on the berth behind him with an arm wrapped around his waist. And he supposed he shouldn't be surprised at feeling content considering the fact that his mate was the one in the berth with him. And he had felt nothing but content ever since having met the Prime.

Ratchet onlined his optics as he took in the room that he was sharing with Optimus. He wished that he could remember this room, but it wasn't something he could remember. He knew that it was something that he might never remember, and that was something that bothered Ratchet a lot more than he wanted to admit. He wanted to remember his family. He wanted to remember his mate. He wanted to remember everything about these bots, but he couldn't. He would learn about them, though. With time and effort. Both of which he had and would ensure was done.

Ratchet lay there in the Prime's arms, feeling too comfortable to move. He could tell that the red and blue mech was still in deep recharge. He could feel the warmth on the back of his neck as the Prime ex-vented slowly. It was almost like a feeling of déjà vu for the medic. Being in the Prime's arms lying online while the other mech recharged was familiar to Ratchet and seemed natural although Ratchet had absolutely no memory of being with the Prime. It was odd, but comforting.

Ratchet reached down and gently stroked his fingers over the Prime's hand in front of him. Ratchet could feel the contentment in his spark at being with this mech, but it didn't change the fact that Ratchet was actually in the berth with a mech that he had no memory of. He wanted, needed to get to know this mech before things got much more serious. Ratchet continued to gently stroke the Prime's hand in a preoccupied manner as he thought.

Slowly, Optimus came out of recharge himself and could feel something stroking over his hand gently. He became fully aware and realized that Ratchet was online and stroking over his hand. The Prime smiled slightly at having his mate back in his arms when he came out of recharge. Optimus knew without a doubt that having Ratchet was not something that he was going to take for granted ever again.

Ratchet sensed the change in the Prime's systems and realized that he was online. Content and comfortable, Ratchet decided to remain where he was for the time being. He continued to lay there with his mate, expecting Optimus to say something since it was rather obvious that the medic was also online.

Optimus gently nuzzled the back of Ratchet's neck before he finally spoke. "How did you recharge?"

"Fine." Ratchet turned so that he was able to look at Optimus. "There is something that we need to talk about."

"What's that?" Optimus asked as he looked at his mate. He hoped that there was nothing wrong.

"As happy as I am to be here with you and everybot from my past, it doesn't change the fact that I don't remember any of you. I would like to, but I just can't." Ratchet told him.

Optimus reached over and started to gently trail his fingers down Ratchet's arm in a soothing manner. "I know that you can't remember your past, Ratchet. That's not your fault."

"I know, Optimus. My point is that I don't remember any of you, and I think that it's going to be a good idea for me to get to know all of you now." Ratchet told him.

Optimus realized that Ratchet was right. He knew by Ratchet's own admission that his spark remembered all of them, but he didn't know them at all. "You're right, Ratchet. You'll have the time to get to know us all again." He smiled at his mate. "And I am going to make time for that."

Ratchet smiled. "Thank you."  
Optimus nodded.

Knowing that their creations would be getting up before long, Ratchet decided that it would be a good time for them to get up. He sat up and climbed out of the berth.

"If you want to use the wash racks, go ahead." Optimus told him, motioning to the door to the side.

"Thank you." Ratchet then headed for the wash racks, knowing that he needed it at the moment.

Optimus also climbed out of the berth and went to check on their creations. He found that all three were still in recharge; although he wasn't sure if they would stay in recharge much longer considering the fact that they seemed to get up rather early. The Prime went and got himself a cube of energon that he started to drink. He was a bit startled to receive a message from Megatron for a communication. Optimus opened the comm link to his brother. :_What is it, Megatron?_:

:_I contacted Grindor and told him that we needed to speak with him about something. Considering the fact that I thought you wouldn't want to leave the palace, all things considered, Grindor is coming here. He'll be here in three joor for a meeting with us._: Megatron told him.

:_And who is us?_: Optimus asked.

:_You, me, Galvatron, and Elita. Figure that if Grindor needs to see Ratchet to believe that he is alive like we did, at least with the meeting here we could get Ratchet to the office without fear of anybot seeing him that we don't want seeing him yet._: Megatron replied.

"_A good idea, actually. I'll meet all of you in my office half a joor before the meeting is set to start._: Optimus said.

:_I'll let the others know. You might want to inform Ratchet that we might need him in that meeting as living proof._: Megatron suggested.

:_I'll let him know._: Optimus replied before he cut the connection with his brother. He set his half finished cube of energon on the table before he headed into his quarters. He heard the sound of the shower running in the wash racks and decided that telling Ratchet could wait a moment. He went back out and found that Lightshow had come out of the younglings' quarters, rubbing her optics. Optimus smiled before he walked over to her. "Good morning, Lightshow."

Lightshow looked up and smiled at her sire. "Morning, Sire."

Optimus smiled before he picked up his daughter and kissed her on the cheek. "Did you recharge well?"

"Yes, Sire." Lightshow looked around. "Where's Carrier?"

"He's in the wash racks. He will be out soon." Optimus replied as he walked over and set Lightshow down on the couch. He then turned on the video feed and let Lightshow watch cartoons.

It wasn't long before Hot Rod and Springer came out of their room as well, looking like they had just come out of recharge.

Optimus smiled at his sons. "Good morning, Springer. Hot Rod."

"Morning, Sire." the two mechlings replied.

Optimus motioned toward the couch. "Go ahead and watch cartoons."

The two mechlings soon joined their sister on the couch.

Optimus then went to the energon dispenser and used the smaller cubes to get the younglings their ration. He then walked back over to the couch and handed each of them a cube if energon.

"Thank you, Sire." all three younglings told him.

Optimus smiled at them. "You're welcome."

Ratchet had stood watching his mate get the energon for their younglings. He could easily see how attentive his mate was to their younglings and immediately came to the conclusion that he would be a good sire to their younglings.

Optimus still hadn't realized that Ratchet was watching them. He walked back over to the table and picked up his half full cube of energon which he continued drinking.

"You're good with them."

Optimus was startled and immediately turned to face his mate. "How long have you been there?"

Ratchet smiled. "Not long." He then looked at their younglings. "Long enough to know that you are going to end up being a good sire."

Optimus looked surprised, but was glad to hear that from Ratchet. "You think so?"

Ratchet nodded. "I know so." He smiled. "We'll just have to see if you are going to be good at disciplining them or if that'll be my job."

Optimus looked a bit sheepish. "I, uh, honestly don't know."

"We'll have to see." Ratchet replied. He then motioned to the room. "Why don't you go ahead and use the wash racks? I know that you're meeting with Senator Grindor this cycle, and you shouldn't go dirty."

"Hmm. Probably a good idea." Optimus started into the room then remembered what Megatron had told him and turned back to Ratchet. "By the way, Grindor is coming here to meet us for us to tell him, and we might need you to come there in case Grindor needs to see you to know that we all haven't lost our processors." Optimus told him.

Ratchet nodded. "You'll just have to tell me where your office is."

Optimus nodded before heading into his room to get washed up.

"Carrier?" Hot Rod asked.

Ratchet walked up behind the couch where his creations were. "Yes, Hot Rod?"

"Are we going to be living here now?" Hot Rod asked.

Ratchet smiled at his son. "It looks that way, Hot Rod."

"So, we're going to stay here with Sire?" Lightshow asked.

Ratchet smiled. "Yes, we are."

"That's great! We'll get to see everybot every cycle!" Springer sounded very happy about that.

Ratchet smiled. "Yes. You will."

* * *

Optimus had stayed by the door and heard what Ratchet had said about them staying there. It settled his spark a great deal more to know that Ratchet intended for them to remain at the palace. He didn't want to lose his family after he had just found it. And it looked as if he was going to end up keeping his family after all.

The Prime headed into the wash racks and turned on the solvent spray, washing off all the dirt and grime that had accumulated on his armor. The water was warm on him, and it helped to relax the Prime.

Optimus knew that telling Grindor that Ratchet was alive was the easy part. He had known Grindor for a while, and he knew that once Grindor was convinced that Ratchet was alive and well that Grindor would happy for them.

The Senate, or at least some of the members of the Senate, would not be so happy that Ratchet was alive, Redwing in particular. Redwing would be royally pissed off at the fact that Ratchet was alive.

Optimus knew that Redwing hated the fact that he had chosen Ratchet as his mate because of the fact that they could not use Ratchet to try to control Optimus. Redwing also despised the fact that Ratchet was considered middle class, which meant that Redwing saw Ratchet as unworthy of becoming the mate of the Prime.

Optimus felt differently. He knew that Ratchet was more than worthy to be his mate. And he wasn't about to let Redwing get in the way of his relationship with Ratchet.

Which brought his thoughts over to the one who had taken Ratchet away from him in the first place. Shadowstrike had done everything she could to destroy the life that Optimus had wanted so much. She had tried to kill his mate while he was carrying Optimus's creations without care. Shadowstrike had thought that she was more worthy of being the Prime's mate than Ratchet was, but Optimus thought that she was less worthy.

And the fact that Ratchet was alive would not change a great deal where Shadowstrike was concerned. The attempted assassination of the mate of the Prime or the High Lord Protector carried the same punishment as a successful assassination did. Regardless of the fact that Ratchet was alive and well, the penalty would still be death.

Optimus sighed as he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed a cloth and started to dry himself off.

There was a lot that the Prime was going to have to deal with in the coming cycles, and he didn't care at all because it meant that he had Ratchet and his creations back.

The Prime walked back out and stopped when he saw Starlight, Swiftwind, Nemesis, and Alpha Trion all in the sitting room with the three younglings.

Ratchet was standing back watching them. He glanced over and smiled.

Optimus walked over. "Somehow, I'm not surprised that our quarters are being overrun by our family. It's probably going to happen a lot."

"I imagine." Ratchet replied. He was sipping at his own cube of energon. "At this moment, I'm trying to figure who they're more interested in seeing: our creations or me."

"Both, actually."

Ratchet turned to glance at his own carrier.

Starlight smiled. "And you've got some others to meet."

"Are they here?" Optimus asked.

"Of course. Ironhide and Chromia just arrived. Skywarp and Thundercracker were here early with Starscream. Ultra Magnus is here, and Smokescreen has gotten Hot Shot here with Dropkick." Starlight replied.

"Sounds like there's a few that I need to meet." Ratchet mused.

"And all of them will be glad to see you again." Starlight stated. She glanced over at where the three younglings were with their grand-sires. "And I know that they'll be thrilled to see them."

"You forgot to mention about Jetfire and Jetstorm." Swiftwind reminded her.

"Oh! Right. Wheeljack wants Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer to meet his sons, Jetfire and Jetstorm. Since they're all around the same age, they should get along well." Starlight said.

"I'm sure they will." Ratchet agreed.

"I have a meeting today. We're telling Grindor that Ratchet is alive." Optimus said.

"Yes. Megatron had mentioned that." Nemesis remarked.

Optimus just hoped that this meeting went well.

* * *

"I still think that Arcee should have let us know that Ratchet was alive a lot sooner! Like an orn ago sooner!" Galvatron growled. He didn't like the fact that his younger brother had suffered so much for no reason at all. Granted, he placed a great deal more blame on Shadowstrike, but he still felt that Arcee had been out of line.

"Galvatron, considering what Arcee thought she knew-" Elita started.

"That doesn't excuse a slagging thing, Elita! Arcee **knew **that Ratchet was alive, and she **knew **how much it had hurt our family! **Everybot **knew it! She should have known that something wasn't right and come forward a great deal sooner!" Galvatron protested.

"Maybe she should have, but she didn't. Right now, I think that we need to be thankful that Ratchet, Hot Rod, and Lightshow are alive. And be grateful that we have Springer now." Elita believed that all things happened for a reason, which was why she was sure there was a reason that they had gone through this. Even if they never understood what that reason was.

While Elita and Galvatron were arguing over the issue with Arcee, Optimus and Megatron were having their own discussion.

"And this would be why I thought that coming here sooner would be a good idea. To get these arguments out of their systems." Optimus stated, leaning back in his chair.

Megatron watched them with an amused expression. "Agreed. How did you know that they would end up in argument?"

"Because they are both opinionated, hard-helmed, stubborn, and have different views of what happened." Optimus replied.

"True enough." Megatron watched the argument before looking at his brother. "Can you believe that these two want to start a relationship? What do they have in common?"

"They have a lot in common. How they compromise is the real question." Optimus chuckled. "And I say let them figure that out."

Megatron nodded. "Starscream and I had to." He then turned the focus from his twin and Elita to Optimus. "How are we telling Grindor?"

"I thought we'd simply tell him the truth and then get Ratchet to come here if Grindor doesn't believe it." Optimus replied.

"Sounds good to me." Megatron grimaced. "You realize the kind of uproar that this will cause with the Senate."

"I know." Optimus sighed. "That is what I dread, but I'll willingly deal with it because I do have Ratchet and my creations back."

Megatron nodded in agreement. He was glad to see his brother happy again. He just hoped that there weren't too many problems that came up for his brother and Ratchet.

* * *

"RATCHET!"

The shocked cry came from every bot that was in the lounge as they stared in shock at the bot that they had been rather certain was dead.

Skywarp warped from where he was on the other side of the room right in front of Ratchet before he grabbed the medic in a tight hug. "This is so great! You're alive!"

Ratchet winced at the audio-piercing squeal that had escaped from the purple Seeker. He wished he hadn't shouted so loud. Right in his audio, too.

Starscream released a sound of frustration at his trinemate's actions. "'Warp, stop shouting in Ratchet's audios. And what have I told you about warping across a room?"

"I'm sorry, Screamer, but I was just so excit-AHHH!" Skywarp released a yelp as he was suddenly shoved out of the way.

"He's an idiot." Ironhide told Ratchet before he reached over and pulled Ratchet into a hug.

Ratchet realized that his spark was reacting to the red mech the same way that his spark reacted to Wheeljack. This mech must be a brother. Or at least one he loves like a brother.

"I don't slaggin' care how you're alive, Ratch. Just glad ta see ya again." Ironhide said as he finally let go of Ratchet. He grinned. "Shoulda known ya wouldn't' let some crazed femme knock ya off that easily. Shoulda known ya'd find a way to survive and get back here."

"I appreciate the faith that you have in me." Ratchet replied.

"Ya better than that. Ya wouldn't let yourself get killed by some femme who doesn't know when ta give up." Ironhide replied.

Chromia, with help from Bluestreak, managed to get up. "Ratchet, you have no idea how glad I am to see you." The blue femme pulled Ratchet into a fierce hug.

Ratchet could easily tell that this femme was in the final stages of gestation. "I've been hearing that a lot lately." He glanced back at his family.

"Well, we all are. We can't help that." Jazz told him.

Ultra Magnus was more than a little shocked. But that shock slowly melted into happiness. The mech had known Optimus since he was Orion Pax, and he had seen just how happy Ratchet made him. He had seen what losing Ratchet had done to the mech that was like a brother to him, and he was more than happy to see that Ratchet was alive and well. "Ratchet, I don't know how you are alive, but you have no idea how good it is to see you again." Ultra Magnus told him sincerely.

Ratchet smiled. "Thank you."

Starlight watched this a few moments before deciding that they all needed to know about what had happened after the attack. "Ratchet, perhaps you should tell them now."

"Tell us what?" Thundercracker asked.

"Of course, carrier." Ratchet agreed.

Despite the fact that she knew he couldn't remember her, it still warmed her spark to hear Ratchet refer to her in that way. Starlight loved having her son back and alive. And she certainly loved hearing him call her his carrier.

Ratchet turned to face the bots that were in the room once more before he started to explain to them all that had happened, from how he survived the attack up until his return to Iacon.

Ironhide, Chromia, Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Ultra Magnus were all stunned at what they had learned. None of them had expected any of this.

"I understand that you may be upset with Arcee for her actions, but she did what she thought was right. And quite honestly I am more than grateful to her since it's the only reason that I'm alive, and that Hot Rod and Lightshow are alive." Ratchet told them.

"Well, I wish she woulda told us you were alive a lot sooner, but right now, all that matters is that all of you are alive." Ironhide said. He'd deal with his current anger at a later date.

"So, where are the younglings?" Being a Seeker, Skywarp was more than a little ecstatic at the thought of seeing younglings.

"Cool your jets, Skywarp. You'll see them soon enough." Starscream told him.

Ratchet smiled. He wasn't surprised that Skywarp wanted to see his younglings as he knew better than anybot that Seekers tended to love being around sparklings and younglings, particularly younglings the age of Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow. "They'll be here in a minute." He had left them with Nemesis and Alpha Trion while he told the others all this.

"So, this Bulkhead is here?" Chromia asked curiously.

"Yes. Bulkhead is rather protective of his family, and he wasn't going to let us come back here without him." Ratchet walked over and sat down by the blue femme. "In all honesty, I wasn't entirely sure how things would go here. I was glad that they went well. But Bulkhead wanted to be here just in case."

"Where are they?" Chromia asked.

"They're here in the palace." Prowl replied. He had questioned his sire's decision to allow them to remain in the palace, but he had soon realized why. He had always known that his sire rarely was able to say no to Ratchet. Prowl knew that Optimus had allowed them to remain in the palace because the Prime knew that Ratchet would want them close. "They were given a room here and have stayed here since."

"Considering the course the investigation had taken, probably best thing. Arcee knows more about all this than anybot, and once the Senate finds out, they're going to want to talk to her. It's probably best she remain here." Ultra Magnus remarked.

Ratchet hated to think that anybot might cause any kind of harm to Arcee. She was like a daughter to him, and Ratchet didn't like the idea of her being in danger for any reason, and he suspected she might be in danger from the Senate.

However, Ratchet didn't have the time to dwell on those thoughts.

"Carrier!"

Ratchet turned his focus to the three younglings who were currently running toward him. He smiled at them as they reached them. "I hope you behaved for them."

"They were Ratchet." Alpha Trion assured him. "Much more behaved than I would have expected."

Ratchet smiled, glad to hear that.

"Hey! You're a Seeker!" Lightshow was looking right at Skywarp.

Skywarp smiled as he warped over to her. "Yes! I am!"

"You look like Starscream." Lightshow stated.

Starscream sighed. "The curse of being his brother."

"Hey!" Skywarp protested.

Lightshow giggled at the purple Seeker's reaction. She liked him already.

Thundercracker sighed before noticing the other two.

Springer was already looking at Ironhide as he made his way over to the red mech. "You've got a big cannon like Megatron does."

Ironhide glanced down at the green mech before he smiled at him. "Yeah. Suppose we both do have 'em." He smirked. "I'm sure you'll have one some cycle."

Ratchet slapped a hand to his face. "I wish they would stop telling him that. He's not even an orn yet."

Chromia chuckled. "Ironhide, as you'll learn, is a little trigger happy." She shook her helm. "Trust me. If ours is like him, it'll have a cannon before it's out of its sparkling stellar cycles."

"Primus help us all." Swiftwind muttered.

Ratchet chuckled at that.

"Sorry we're late."

All optics ended up on Wheeljack, who was standing there with Jetfire and Jetstorm in front of him and Skyfire behind him.

Skyfire stared in shock at his brother-in-law. Was he seeing things, or was that Ratchet sitting right by Chromia alive and well?

Ratchet then stood up. "Can I assume that this is your mate and sons, Wheeljack?"

Wheeljack grinned. "Sure is!" He glanced back at Skyfire. "See! I'm not insane."

"I don't believe it. Primus truly performed a miracle this time." Skyfire made his way over before he pulled the medic into a hug. "It's so good to see you again, Ratchet."

Ratchet smiled. "It's good to actually meet you, Skyfire."

Skyfire hadn't believed Wheeljack at first when he told him the story about Ratchet. He had played along and come so that he could speak with Swiftwind, but now he saw that he didn't need to. He also knew about Ratchet's amnesia. "I suppose it is."

All five younglings, upon seeing each other and excited to see other younglings, had easily escaped the adults' optics.

"I'm Jetfire, and this is my twin Jetstorm." Jetfire looked at the three newcomers curiously. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lightshow!" Lightshow looked at them. "Are you Seekers?"

"Yeah. We're just a different kind of Seeker than Starscream and the others." Jetstorm replied. He then looked at the other two. "Who are you?"

"I'm Springer, and this is my brother Hot Rod." Springer replied.

"We don't see that many younglings here. I mean, Smokescreen and Hot Shot have Dropkick, but he's still a sparkling. And Aunt Chromia hasn't even had hers yet." Jetfire said.

"This'll be great!" Hot Rod said.

The adults watched the interactions and then watched as they started playing together.

"I think they're happy to meet each other." Starlight remarked with a smile on her faceplates.

"Well, they are your nephews, Ratch. Suppose I should call them over." Wheeljack said.

Ratchet stopped. "Don't bother them, Wheeljack. Let the younglings play for the time being. They deserve it. I can meet them later."

"Indeed. I'm certain that Smokescreen will be dragging Hot Shot here any moment and then you will also meet Dropkick." Prowl replied. The Praxian was glad that his nephew would be able to grow up with his grand-carrier in his life. And he was glad that any future sparklings that he and Jazz might have would have their grand-carrier in their lives as well.

Smokescreen walked in then with Dropkick cradled in one arm and dragging Hot Shot along by the arm with his other hand. "See! Told ya!"

Hot Shot stared in shock at the sight of his carrier-in-law. He had been sure he needed to take his mate to see a psychiatrist. There was no way that Smokescreen could have been right when he had told his mate that Ratchet was alive and so were his creations. He hadn't believed any of it. He had just been proven wrong.

Ratchet smiled at the yellow mech. "Hello, Hot Shot."

"I-I don't believe it." Hot Shot was shocked.

Smokescreen grinned. "He thought I was crazy."

"Join the club. Sky thought I'd lost it." Wheeljack replied.

Ratchet chuckled. "It is pretty unbelievable, but I assure you that it is me, Hot Shot. I may not remember you, but I look forward to getting to know you. Again."

Hot Shot smiled as he walked over to hug Ratchet. "It is so great to see you again! I didn't think that this would ever happen!"

Ratchet chuckled. "Yes. I've heard that quite a bit."

Smokescreen grinned, glad that his mate finally believed him.

Dropkick glanced at the mech his sire was hugging and frowned as he didn't really understand what was going on. He hadn't seen the mech before.

Ratchet let go of Hot Shot before making his way over to his son. "And I assume that this is Dropkick?"

Smokescreen grinned. "Yeah. This is Dropkick." He glanced down at his son. "Well, Dropkick, you're finally able to meet your other grand-carrier." He then handed Dropkick over to Ratchet.

Ratchet smiled down at his grand-creation. He was glad to finally be able to meet all of these mechs and femmes who had been so important to him. And to meet the few who had not been a part of his life then, but were going to be a big part of his life now.

* * *

Grindor stared in disbelief at his Prime. "I beg your pardon?" He couldn't believe the words that the red and blue mech had just uttered.

Optimus sighed. "I said that Ratchet is alive, Grindor, as are our sparklings, well, younglings." He still had a habit of wanting to refer to them as sparklings instead of younglings.

Grindor started to wonder if his Prime had finally become so overwhelmed by the grief that had plagued him for so long that he had finally lost his processors.

"Optimus hasn't lost his processors." Megatron suspected what the Senate head was currently thinking. "We have all seen him with our own optics."

Elita and Galvatron nodded in agreement.

Grindor looked at all four of them. "And how is that possible? I was under the impression that we knew, without a doubt, that his spark had extinguished. All the bonds he shared had been broken."

"Yes. Well, we thought at the time that it was true. It seemed to be the most logical explanation of what had happened." Optimus sighed. "It would appear that we were wrong."

Grindor frowned, trying to process this in a way that did not lead him to believe that his Prime had finally snapped under the grief he felt. It wouldn't be the first time a bot had gone insane because he crushed under the grief of losing their mate. "And how is it that Ratchet is alive? And why did he not return sooner than this?" The Senate head was wary of believing this.

Optimus, having heard Ratchet explain the story to so many bots in the last few cycles, told Grindor everything he knew. About Arcee saving Ratchet, about the femme getting Ratchet to Creon, abut Ratchet's amnesia, about Arcee's decision to not tell anybot given what she believed had been ordered, abut Ratchet adopting Springer, about their sparklings, and ultimately, about Arcee telling Ratchet the truth and their return to Iacon.

It was pretty unbelievable to Grindor, all things considered. Though it did explain things in a way that did not make his Prime look insane. "Is Ratchet here?" He might need to see Ratchet to truly believe it.

"Yes. He is with our family meeting our friends at the moment." Optimus replied. He had a feeling that he was going to have to let Grindor see Ratchet for the senator to truly believe that they were telling him the truth.

"What about the bonds breaking?" Grindor asked.

"The strain on his spark from his injuries caused the bonds he shared with Prowl, Smokescreen, and Wheeljack to weaken to the point they couldn't be felt on either end. Ratchet says that with time and proximity that the bonds will strengthen." Elita replied.

Grindor glanced at the Prime.

Optimus sighed. "The medics who saved Ratchet's life were forced to severe our bond in order to save him. Technically, our bond doesn't exist anymore." It was a fact that truly pained the Prime's spark, and he hoped that Ratchet would agree to bond with him again in the future.

Grindor was no medic, but he saw no indication that any of them were lying or suffering from hallucinations. He also wasn't sure that four completely different bot would break at the exact same time. He then frowned. "That's not good."

Galvatron growled. "And what's not good about Ratchet being alive?"

Grindor raised a hand. "That is good, Galvatron. I mean the fact that Prime's bond with him no longer exists is what's not good."

"The Senate won't force me to give him up, Grindor." Optimus's voice was strong and determined. "I didn't before, and I won't now."

"I understand that, Prime. Unfortunately, the Senate will still see this as a chance to get their daughters as your mate as the bond does not exist. And there are some of them who would do it shamelessly in front of Ratchet." Grindor frowned. "It also means that there are some of Redwing's supporters who might try to-"

"If they think they are getting rid of Ratchet, they have lost their processors!" Megatron snapped.

"Only stating the possibilities, Megatron." Grindor sighed. "And it will also mean that they will call even louder for Shadowstrike to be released as Ratchet is alive."

"It won't happen." Optimus's voice was hard and unforgiving. "Ratchet being alive changes nothing. Shadowstrike did try to kill him, and that is still punishable by death."

Grindor nodded. "I'm only looking at this from their perspective. I am on your side, Prime. And when they try these things, I will voice that. However, I must remain objective and see this from their viewpoint as well." Grindor smiled in a smug manner. "How do you think I have kept the Senate in such control for so long? I allow myself to think the way some of the senators do, which allows me to remain a few steps ahead of their actions and contain them before they get out of control."

Optimus nodded. "I understand. But I will not let Ratchet go because the bond does not exist. Nor do I intend to bond with a daughter or even a son of a senator. And the charges against Shadowstrike may change, but the end result will not."

Grindor nodded.

Optimus then continued. "If you need to see Ratchet, Grindor, I can take you to him. I would like to wait a few cycles before informing the Senate. I don't want to push too much on Ratchet too fast." And he wanted the Senate to know as little as possible so that none of them tried to attack Ratchet.

Grindor nodded. "I understand." He considered it. "The Senate just recently broke off, and regulations dictate that I cannot call them together, even for an emergency session, for at least two breem unless we are in wartime." He smiled. "So you have two breem before I can even call them together. And I am not calling each senator individually to inform them of this turn of events."

That meant that the Prime had two breem, which he would spend with Ratchet and his creations as much as possible. Once the Senate knew, there would be little time for just them.

* * *

Drop a review and let me know what you thought.


	13. Chapter 13

**My family just got the Internet back today, so like I said before, I'm updating all three of my stories! Thanks for the patience!**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 13

After spending a great deal of time with his friends and learning that they were all more like family than anything, Ratchet had allowed Bluestreak to drag him away from the group. The medic couldn't find it in his spark to deny the gray Praxian much of anything considering all of the grief he had been under. "Where are we going, Bluestreak?"

Bluestreak simply smiled back at his grand-carrier. "You'll see."

Springer, Lightshow, and Hot Rod, the ever curious younglings that they were, were following close behind their carrier. They wanted to see what it was that Bluestreak wanted to show their carrier.

Bluestreak then stopped and turned to look at Ratchet.

Ratchet stared in shock at the crystal gardens that he was seeing. He had to admit that these gardens were far grander and gorgeous than the ones back in Polyhex had been. In fact, they were downright breathtaking.

Bluestreak grinned at the expression on his grand-carrier's faceplates. "Thought you'd like to see this."

Ratchet finally turned to look at Bluestreak. "Have these gardens always been here?"

"Since you were, yeah." Bluestreak's grin turned to an affectionate smile. "When you and Grand-Sire first moved here, you hated the fact that there were no gardens of any type on the premises. You haven't even seen half of the property that belongs to the Prime." Bluestreak turned to look at the gardens. "Grand-Sire had the gardens installed because he knew you wanted them. He surprised you with them. You'd always loved gardens, so he had one set up. It's gotten even bigger and more beautiful since you've been gone."

"And anybot can use them?" Ratchet asked.

"Pretty much. At least those that are allowed in the palace. You couldn't restrict it to no bot being able to come in. You wanted anybot to come in when they wanted." Bluestreak replied.

Ratchet was amazed at just how beautiful these gardens were. They were truly magnificent. He could see himself coming out here to simply sit and read. Or enjoy the view.

"Does this mean that we can come play here?" Hot Rod asked.

Ratchet looked down at his son. "As long as you have an adult with you, I believe so, Hot Rod." He then turned his focus back to Bluestreak. "Thank you for showing me this."

"Come on." Bluestreak led his grand-carrier to the back of the gardens where there were benches set up which held a view of the gardens as well as a playground that wasn't far off.

Ratchet's jaw dropped.

Bluestreak giggled. "Once Grand-Sire knew you were carrying, he had this built. He wanted your creations to have a place to play and so that you could enjoy the gardens like you had a habit of doing."

"Carrier, can we go play?" Springer asked excitedly. He really wanted to go and play on the playground. It looked so fun!

Ratchet smiled, seeing that all three wanted to go play. "Yes. You can go play for a bit."

Immediately, the three took off running to the playground.  
Ratchet smiled as he sat down on the bench. "Optimus did all this for me?" His optics went front the beautiful gardens to the playground that had been designed for younglings.

Bluestreak nodded. "Grand-Sire always wanted you to be happy. He did these things because he wanted you to be happy." The gray Praxian giggled. "Sire always said that Grand-Sire could never say no to you."

Ratchet smiled at that statement. He knew that he wouldn't take advantage of something like that. The medic watched as his younglings played on the playground. He was glad to see them having so much fun, and he knew that they would want him to bring them here a lot.

"I just thought that you'd like to see this place." Bluestreak told Ratchet.

"I do like it." Ratchet turned to look at Bluestreak. "Enjoying the sight of a beautiful crystal garden is something that I still enjoy. Creon had quite beautiful crystal gardens, though I am sure that they do not compare to the ones I've heard about here in Iacon, Praxus, or the Crystal City."

Bluestreak grinned. "I've seen all three, and Praxus has to have the most beautiful. You even said that once before. We'll have to take you there and let you see for yourself just how beautiful the Praxian crystal gardens are."

Ratchet chuckled. "I get the feeling that Optimus would have to go with me. I don't see him allowing me to go anywhere without him anytime soon."

"Probably not." Bluestreak agreed. He hesitated a moment before asking something that had been bothering him. "Grand-Carrier, what is going to happen with you and Grand-Sire? I know that you don't remember him at all, so I just wondered where you two were going."

Ratchet looked at his grand-creation a moment. "It would seem that Optimus was right when he told me that you have a bit of nosy streak."

Bluestreak felt his faceplates heat up, and he looked away in embarrassment.

"I would like to know as well."

Both Ratchet and Bluestreak looked to see that Prowl and Smokescreen had walked up behind them.

Prowl glanced at his carrier. "I noticed yesterday that you and Sire were staying rather close to each other. Close enough that I am certain that your EM fields were mixing. You would have thought that you wouldn't want him **that **close since you don't remember him."

Smokescreen grinned. "Come on, Carrier. Give us the scoop." He walked over and plopped down beside his carrier. "Curious processors want to know."

Ratchet looked at all three Praxians before sighing in defeat. "Just don't go telling everybot about this. Optimus and I will tell them in our own time when we are ready."

All three nodded, eager to know what exactly was going on between Ratchet and Optimus.

"We have discussed the situation, and we came to the agreement that we will be in a relationship again. Primus knows I wouldn't' be able to stand it otherwise nor would he." Ratchet chose not to tell them about the sudden kiss he had initiated with Optimus. That was between the two of them, and no bot else needed to know about it. "We are going to take the time to let me get to know him again. I don't remember him, so I'm going to have to get to know him." Ratchet smiled. "I'll have to get to know all of you, actually."

"That's great!" Bluestreak exclaimed.

Ratchet placed a hand on Bluestreak's shoulder. "Keep it down." He smiled. "Though Optimus seemed very happy as well."

"Carrier, he's got you back. He's got those three." Prowl nodded to where Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod were happily playing. "And you've agreed to an actual relationship with him. Sire has plenty of reason to be happy, Carrier."

"I suppose so." Ratchet agreed.

* * *

Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod and ended up tiring themselves out so much from playing, especially after Wheeljack brought Jetstorm and Jetfire out to play with them, that the three had ended up falling into recharge outside as did Jetfire and Jetstorm.

"These two ain't used to havin' somebot in the palace ta play wit'." Wheeljack stated as he carried Jetfire into the palace.

"They'll get used to it after a while." Ratchet replied, Lightshow in his arms.

"Not likely. There haven't been any younglings around here since they were born. Jetfire and Jetstorm are going to love not having to play with just adults any longer." Skyfire replied, carrying Jetstorm in his arms.

"Yeah. All of them are going to like being able to play together." Smokescreen stated, carrying Springer. "I'm sure that they're going to want to play all the time."

"Probably so. I think that they will get along well." Prowl remarked.

Bluestreak was carrying Hot Rod in. "You know, I could get used to this."

"Bluestreak, I know that you are planning to bond with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. I won't try to stop that, but I will kill them both if you wind up sparked any time soon." Prowl told his son seriously.

"Don't worry, Sire. I'm not ready to have a sparkling of my own right now." Bluestreak grinned. "But that doesn't mean that I can't help take care of these three right now."

"That would be good practice for when they do have their own." Ratchet glanced at Bluestreak. "Though I don't want to be a great-grand-creator anytime soon."

"Not happening. Sire wouldn't have a chance to kill Sideswipe and Sunstreaker because I would do it for him. I'm not ready for ones of my own. In the future, but not now." Bluestreak stated.

"SIDESWIPE! SUNSTREAKER! GET BACK HERE YOU TWO SONS OF GLITCHES!"

The sudden yelling from Ironhide startled the younglings awake, cause them to grip the bot holding them rather tightly.

Ratchet was stunned. "What was that about?"

Prowl groaned. "Primus! I was afraid this would happen!"

"Afraid what would happen, Sire?" Bluestreak asked.

"Those two pains are up to their old tricks again." Prowl glanced at Ratchet. "They used to play pranks all the time. Mostly ones that would annoy you to the point that you would A) shout at them like that and B) throw wrenches at them." He sighed. "After we thought you had been killed, they had stopped them." Prowl then frowned. "I was afraid that they'd go back to pulling pranks once they knew that you were alive."

A moment later, a bright pink Ironhide showed up, looking ready to kill. "Where are they?!"

"We haven't seen them." Skyfire replied.

The entire group was snickering and giggling at the sight of the very pink warrior.

Ironhide growled. "One laugh," the mech cycles on his cannons, "and I start shootin'."

"We really haven't seen them, Ironhide." Ratchet smirked. "Though you certainly look nice with your new choice of color."

The snickers grew louder.

"Just you wait, Ratchet." Ironhide growled, glaring at the mech. "You won't be holdin' one of yer younglings forever, which means I can get ya then." The now pink mech then stormed off in search of the two responsible for his new paintjob.

The group then burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Oh, mech! I can't believe Carrier missed out on that!" Bluestreak giggled.

"Oh, he's already seen in." Prowl smirked. "I just sent a vid of that encounter to Jazz."

Ratchet chuckled. "I don't think pink is his color." He snickered. "He does realize that many of the bots in the palace are going to see him pink with him storming the halls looking for them, right?"

"Give him time, and he'll realize that." Prowl replied.

"Why was Ironhide upset? I thought he looked nice." Lightshow remarked.

Smokescreen chuckled at that. "Well, pink isn't exactly a color that looks good on mechs who are in the military, Lightshow. They tend to get mocked." He smirked. He intended to do a great deal of mocking and teasing with this one."

Ratchet shook his helm. "Come on." He set Lightshow down since she was online as they headed on back onto the palace.

* * *

Optimus walked into his quarters chuckling. He had just seen a rather pissed off and pink Ironhide storming through the halls of the palace muttering something about using Sideswipe and Sunstreaker for target practice along with threats to anybot that dared to tease him about it.

Ratchet glanced up from his place on the couch. "What's so funny?"

Lightshow looked up from the picture she was drawing while Springer and Hot Rod stopped playing with the blocks to look at their sire.

"I just saw Ironhide. And he was very-" Optimus started.

"Pink? We know. Saw him just after we heard the yelling." Ratchet laughed. "He was rather upset. The paint hadn't even dried when he started storming after them."

Optimus smiled. "I can see that. I certainly hope that Sideswipe and Sunstreaker are hiding because Ironhide won't go easy on them if he get his hands on them." He walked over and sat down by Ratchet. "What have you been doing?"

"Bluestreak showed us the crystal gardens and the playground you had built." Ratchet smiled. "They had fun."

"Yeah! It's great, Sire!" Springer piped up.

"Thank you for having it built." Lightshow added.

"You're very welcome, Lightshow." Optimus was so glad that his younglings were having the chance to enjoy the playground. He had had it built for them, and he was very glad that they had the chance to play with it.

"So, how did your meeting go?" Ratchet asked.

"It went fine. We were able to convince Grindor that you are alive and that we have not lost our processors." Optimus smiled. "Although Grindor would still like to see you. I think it'll help in the long run."

Ratchet nodded. "When will the rest of the Senate be told?"

Optimus laughed. "Grindor's not going to convene the Senate for a meeting to inform them for two breem. We'll have that time before anybot knows that you're alive."

"Isn't that something they should know right away, though?" Ratchet asked.

"Probably, but the Senate just ended a session, and as the Senate regulations dictate, Grindor can't call the Senate together for another meeting, even an emergency one, for at least two breem. The only time that doesn't apply is during wartime." Optimus smiled. "We're definitely not at war, so we're fine."

"That's good to know." Ratchet was glad that there were going to be two breem for him to try to get to know this mech before the Senate had to know that he was alive. He would like being able to spend time with Optimus and get to know him.

"So, does that mean you're going to be spending a lot of time with us?" Hot Rod asked.

"Yes, Hot Rod. I am going to be spending a great deal of time with you." Optimus had a feeling that they might be sick of spending time with him by the time these two breem were over with.

* * *

Bulkhead was nervously pacing the room that he shared with Arcee. He had been a bit uncomfortable staying in the palace of the Prime. He was a construction mech. He used his hands for demolition and construction only, so being in such a lavish place was beyond what Bulkhead was comfortable with, much less being in the palace of the Prime no less. It was nerve-wracking for him.

Besides, Bulkhead was worried about Springer, Lightshow, and Hot Rod. Ratchet, too. He hadn't seen any of them since they met the Prime, so the green mech was concerned. He had already gone through so many scenarios of how they may have gotten hurt he was about to have spark failure.

Arcee glanced up from the show she was watching on the video feed and sighed. "Bulk, will you please sit down? You're going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that."  
Bulkhead turned to his lover. "I'm sorry, 'Cee, but this is driving me crazy! I want to know why the doc hasn't come and see us yet! I thought he would have let me know that everything is all right!"

"Bulkhead, Ratchet's meeting his family for the first time. At least that he remembers." Arcee smiled. "I'm sure that he has just gotten caught up in everything."

"I'm just worried." Bulkhead resumed his pacing. "I don't care if the doc really is Prime's mate. He's still like a creator to me, and those three are my siblings. I'm just worried about them."

Arcee stood up and walked over to Bulkhead, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Bulk, I understand that. I don't think it'll take long before Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow start asking about you. You know how they are." Arcee smirked. "They love their big brothers."

Bulkhead looked her in the optics. "I suppose you're right. I guess I'm still nervous. Considering the circumstances that lead up to Ratchet's near death, I guess I'm worried about him being here in Iacon. I mean, the insane daughter of one of the senators tried to kill Ratchet knowing that he was the Prime's mate and knowing that he was carrying the Prime's creations. No telling what else could happen to him while he's here."

Arcee smiled. "One thing I do know, Bulkhead, is that Optimus Prime loves his mate more than anything. He won't let anything happen to him this time." She chuckled. "And I'm rather certain that his family won't either."

Bulkhead sighed. "Guess I'm gone have ta get used to the fact that doc has a lot more bots takin' care of 'im now. Used to be just me and Breakdown keeping such a close optic on him and making sure that he was fine. Goin' to take a bit for me to get it through my processors that doc has a lot more family than just us."

Arcee nodded her helm. "You'll get here."

A sudden knock on the door started both bots.

Arcee went to the door and opened it, surprised to find that Elita-1 was on the other side of the door. "Commander Elita, this is a surprise." The blue and pink femme had so not expected to see her commanding officer here, despite the fact that Arcee knew she lived there.

"I understand that, Arcee." Elita smiled at her subordinate. "May I come in?"

"Yes. Of course." Arcee stepped aside to allow Elita to enter the room before she closed the door again. "May I get you anything?"

"No. I am fine." Elita noticed Bulkhead in the room.

"Commander, this is Bulkhead. He's my mechfriend. Bulkhead, this is Elita-1, commander of the femme unit I am a part of ."

Bulkhead inclined his hand to her. "Nice to meet you, Commander."

Elita smiled. "No need to be so formal, Bulkhead. You are like family to my brother." She then looked back at Arcee. "You are both like family to Ratchet, meaning you don't need to be so formal. At least not in a setting like this."

Arcee understood then why her commander was there. "I suppose so."

Elita then turned to fully face Arcee. "I came here for a reason, Arcee. Optimus and Ratchet told us everything that happened."

Arcee was prepared to have herself lectured and yelled at for keeping Ratchet from them for so long.

"Thank you."

Arcee looked up at her commander in shock. That was so not what Arcee had expected.

"If it hadn't been for you, Arcee, Ratchet would have died that cycle, and Hot Rod and Lightshow would have died with him. You gave those three a chance to live that they wouldn't have had before. And as a result, Springer also gained a loving family that he might not have had otherwise. Thank you for saving him, Arcee. And thank you for being there for him all this time. I'm glad that he didn't feel as if he didn't have anybot." Elita smiled at Arcee. "You have no idea how grateful I am to you for saving him."

"I don't understand. I thought that you would have been angry about all this." Arcee stated.

Bulkhead couldn't help but question Arcee's sanity. Why she was questioning Elita's gracious attitude was something the mech couldn't understand.

Elita smiled. "I understand, Arcee. I do wish that you would have told us right from the start that Ratchet was alive, but considering what limited information you had at the time, I understand why you made the choices that you did. I'm just glad that you brought him back to us once you knew the truth."

"I couldn't keep him away any longer. I would have told Lieutenant Jazz in that interview when he told me a change in orders hadn't been issued, but I knew that no bot would have believed me if I had just come out and said that he's alive. It was necessary to bring Ratchet here and let all of you see with your own optics that he was alive." Arcee told her.

"Regardless, Arcee, I am very grateful to you for saving my brother and for bringing him back to us. If it hadn't been for you, I'm not sure that this family would have ever completely recovere.d" Elita smiled at the blue and pink femme. "You gave us everything back, so I'll never be able to show how grateful I really am to you for bringing Ratchet and the younglings back."

"I did what was right, Commander. Nothing more." Arcee told her.

"Well, Arcee, you did a lot more for us than you can ever know. I just wanted you to know that I am very grateful to you, Arcee." Elita stated. She then turned to Bulkhead. "And I thought that I should meet you. You're like another son to my brother, and you're an important part of my niece and nephews lives."

Bulkhead nodded. "It's also nice to meet you." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "You'll forgive me for asking this, and I apologize if it offends you, but are doc, Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow all right?"

Elita smiled. "I'm not offended. You're concerned for your family, and they're fine. I think that they've just gotten caught up in the fact that they're here with family that they didn't know about before."

Bulkhead nodded. "Just knowin' what happened to doc makes me worried. Don't want nothin' happenin' to 'im or those three. They're an important part of my life, and I don't want them getting' hurt."

Elita chuckled. "Bulkhead, there are a lot of bots here that any other bot would have to go through in order to get to them." She smiled. "And I think you're right up there on the list."

"I am. I ain't lettin' nothin' happen to them." Bulkhead stated.

"Bulk." Arcee didn't want him to overstep it, even if her lover was simply concerned about Ratchet's welfare.

"No, Arcee. He has every right to be concerned." Elita frowned. "I am concerned myself. Fortunately, the Senate won't find out for a few breem. So no danger right now."

Bulkhead nodded.

"I'm glad that Ratchet has a mech like you to worry about him like this. It means that he's been well-taken care of." Elita stated.

Bulkhead laughed. "Doc can take care of 'imself with that aim of his. If his aim with a blaster is anything like his aim with a wrench, then he's be a force to be reckoned with if he ever had a blaster in his hands."

"So, that didn't change about him?" Elita shook her helm. "I can't say I'm surprised. That was his trademark. His deadly aim with a wrench."

"Yeah. Breakdown and I sort of helped him re-perfect it." Bulkhead reached up and rubbed his helm. "Got the dents and processor-aches to prove it."

"As do Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, who were the ones he originally perfected that on." Elita stated.

Arcee glanced at Bulkhead. "Well, Bulkhead and Breakdown tended to enjoy testing Ratchet just to see how good he could be." She smirked. "I thought it spoke volumes about how good his aim is when he managed to knock them both unconscious with a single wrench. Hadn't thought that it was actually possible, but Ratchet proved me wrong on that."

"He proved all of us wrong." Elita replied. She looked between the two. "I just wanted you to know that I am grateful for what you've done for Ratchet." She then smiled. "And you don't have to stay holed up in this room. Get out and roam around. You won't get into trouble." With that, the femme commander left.

"That was—unexpected." Bulkhead remarked.

Arcee nodded her helm before sitting down in the couch. "I thought for sure I was in for it." She shook her helm. "No bot seems to be angry at for keeping Ratchet away for so long."

Bulkhead walked over and sat down by Arcee, putting an arm around Arcee's shoulders. "'Cee, right now, I think the relief of knowing that Ratchet is alive and knowing that Hot Rod and Lightshow are alive and well makes up for the time they lost. I guess maybe they figure that having Ratchet back after all this time is better than never getting him back at all."

Arcee nodded her helm. "I suppose you're right." She still wasn't sure that the Prime would be as forgiving. In fact, she had a feeling that he was the one that would be the most angry.

* * *

Ratchet nearly choked on his energon. "You didn't?"

Optimus looked more than a bit embarrassed. "In my defense, I was young and was dared to do it by my brothers. Granted, I got my aft chewed out when I got home." The Prime shook his helm. "You wouldn't believe how loud my sire yelled. As if my audios weren't hurting enough." The red and blue mech grimaced. "In hindsight, going through with my brothers' dare to get completely overcharged at a party I had been told not to go to in the first place was a bad idea."

"You think?" Ratchet chuckled. "Well, I suppose I've seen far stupider done in my short time in Creon. That's nothing."

"I know. You always had stories when you'd come home from work, and I had trouble believing most of them." Optimus stated. He sipped at his energon. "I never believed your stories about Wheeljack until I went to see you one day and found Wheeljack in pieces."

"Wheeljack?" Ratchet frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Optimus chuckled. "Well, Wheeljack's an engineer and an inventor, and while his inventions end up working, he blows himself up about fifty times before he gets it right. And that's with every invention."

"That's impossible." Ratchet stated.

Optimus smirked. "Not so."

Ratchet had a feeling that he wasn't going to be thrilled when he started dealing with his brother's injuries. "Did your brothers' dare you to do a lot of foolish things?"

"Yeah. It was the little brother wanting to do whatever his big brothers did. Once I got older, I got smarter and stopped listening to them." Optimus said.

"That's a good thing." Ratchet stated.

"Agreed. I'm sure Megatron and Galvatron will have plenty of stories to tell you about the tricks they played on me." Optimus remarked.

Ratchet smiled. "Well, I'm sure they can't have all bad stories."

"The good ones they wouldn't bother with." Optimus muttered.

"I suppose most brothers wouldn't tell the good ones. They'd want to tell the embarrassing ones." Ratchet stated.

"Well, Wheeljack may have a few about you." Optimus stated.

"Really?" Ratchet's tone sounded dark.

Optimus had a feeling that Wheeljack might regret telling some of those stories, if the inventor decided to.

"So, what else did you have to tell me?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus smiled. "There's a lot that I can tell you, Ratchet. And not all of them will embarrass me." And he certainly wouldn't tell any that would embarrass Ratchet.

"Something I've been wondering if how your creators reacted to me considering how much older I am." Ratchet said.

"Well, when I first told them about you, they were dubious. Until I told them you were Swiftwind's son. My sire and Swiftwind were old friends. And once my creators saw how happy I was with you, they were fine with it." Optimus stated.

"I'm actually surprised by that. I would have thought that they would have been against. I am a lot older than you are, Optimus." Ratchet remarked.

"I know you are, but that age difference has never bothered me. Or you, for that matter. Hadn't affected how we act." Optimus set his cube aside before he reached over and pulled Ratchet into his arms. "Still doesn't bother me."

Ratchet easily snuggled into his arms. "Doesn't really faze me, either."

"I'm glad of that." Optimus wasn't going to get over the feel of having Ratchet in his arms again anytime soon. And he certainly wasn't going to take that time for granted."

"You know, you still need to meet Bulkhead." Ratchet stated.

Optimus realized that his mate was right, and he wanted to meet Bulkhead. The mech was an important part of Ratchet's life now and was also an integral part of his younglings' lives as well. He needed to know this mech, especially since Lightshow, Hot Rod, and Springer talked about Bulkhead, Breakdown, and Knock Out a great deal.

"Well, it's late, so I think that we can let that wait until tomorrow." Ratchet smiled. "Besides, I'm sure that those three would like to see their big brother."

The two had put the three younglings to the berth a while ago, which was why the two had spent the last joor talking.

"Agreed. We should probably get some recharge, too." The Prime had learned in only a few cycles that those three didn't recharge late, which meant they didn't need to stay up late.

"You learn fast." Ratchet stated as he got to his feet.

The two retired to their berth room and curled up together and slipped into recharge.

* * *

Drop a review and let me know what you thought!


	14. Chapter 14

Here's the next chapter!

**Just so everyone knows, I'm doing my student teaching for college this coming semester, and I start on Monday, August 13. Updates will most likely be less and on the weekends due to my school work that will need to be done.**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 14

Optimus released a loud groan as he felt Ratchet's skilled fingers slip beneath his armor and tease the sensitive sensors in his sides. He felt the medic's glossa trail over his neck cables, causing the Prime to arch up against him. "AH! Ratchet!" Optimus moaned as he brought his hands up to trail down the medic's back. He could remember every sensitive point on Ratchet's frame. Those spots would be forever imprinted on his processors as he teased the sensors that brought moans from the medic.

Ratchet could feel the sensors in his back sparking off pure heat as he felt the red and blue mech's long fingers trail over them gently, so gently that Ratchet could barely feel it. Ratchet had stopped his actions for a moment, taken off guard by the sudden rush of pleasure. However, he quickly recovered as moved back to press his lips to the Prime's.

Optimus groaned into the kiss as he reached up and placed his hands on the back of Ratchet's helm to press the medic more into the kiss. He then licked over Ratchet's lips, and the medic obliged by opening his mouth, allowing the Prime to explore his mouth.

Ratchet moaned into the kiss as he felt the Prime's glossa explore his mouth. It was amazing at just how the Prime could make him feel. He hadn't thought that anybot would ever be able to light his circuits on fire the way that the Prime was managing to do. It was incredible.

While Optimus continued to explore his mate's mouth, he allowed his hands to trail over the medic's body. While they had been making out, he had noticed that Ratchet never explored lower than his sides, so the Prime decided not to push things too far. He kept his explorations above at the sides as well. Of course, that was all he needed. He trailed his hands from Ratchet's shoulders on down the medic's arms and to his hands. He kept his hands still a moment before he started to stroke over the medic's hands.

Ratchet released a loud groan at this as his hands were probably his most sensitive point. His hands instantly curled around the Prime's shoulders in his pleasure. He should have known that the Prime would know what his sensitive points were. This mech had interfaced with him Primus knows how many times. Ratchet should have known that the Prime would know all of his sensitive points. Plus, most medics's had sensitive hands. It was engrained in their programming.

Optimus finally broke the kiss only to press a gentle kiss to Ratchet's cheek. "When you mentioned getting to know each other, this wasn't exactly what I thought you meant."

"It wasn't what I meant." Ratchet smirked. "Although I have to admit that it is fun. And it is kind of a way of getting to know you."

"Hmm. Suppose so." Optimus agreed as he pressed a gentle kiss to Ratchet's lips.

"Besides, I can't help it. My spark knows you too well, and I can't seem to resist." Ratchet stated.

Optimus chuckled. "Well, we always did have a problem keeping our hands off each other. The only time we didn't was when we weren't alone or when one of us was ill."

"Then that probably explains it. Although I will want to actually get to know you." Ratchet stated.

"We'll have time for that." Optimus murmured. As far as he was concerned, they had all the time in the world.

"I know." Ratchet replied. He then sat up so that he was sitting on Optimus's hips. "Speaking of which, I'd like for you to meet Bulkhead today." He smiled. "I haven't actually seen Bulkhead since I met you, and I'm sure he's worried. He didn't know how things would turn out when I decided to come back here, so he's probably concerned. Arcee might have managed to keep him calm, but I'm sure that he would like to see me, Springer, Hot Rod, and Lightshow with his own optics. It would ease his own spark. Besides, he's been an important part of my life this past orn, and I would like you to meet him."

Optimus smiled. "I'd like to meet him as well, Ratchet. I know that he's important in your life, which is why I want to meet him. And I hope to meet Breakdown and Knock Out eventually."

"You will. Trust me. Those two will want to see those three again." Ratchet assured him. He then moved off of Optimus to lie down beside him.

Optimus gently pulled the mech closer to him, letting Ratchet rest his helm on his chest.

The two lay there in silence for a bit, simply enjoying the other's presence.

"Optimus, I'm curious about something. How fast can a creation day celebration be planned?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus frowned. "How soon do you wish for this celebration to take place?"

"About five cycles." Ratchet answered.

"Why?" Optimus knew that it wouldn't be for Hot Rod and Lightshow as the two were younger than Jetstorm and Jetfire were, and they wouldn't be an orn for another two groon.

"Springer's creation day is coming up, and I don't want to let our coming here interfere with that. I still want to celebrate it." Ratchet explained.

Optimus chuckled. "Ratchet, if you were to ask Starlight and Elita, they could have one planned in probably less than a cycle." He thought about that a moment. "Scratch that. They could probably have one planned in less than a joor."

Ratchet raised up to look at him. "And I'd prefer nothing very fancy. These three aren't used to that, and I really don't want to start them off with anything very fancy."

"Friends and family only." Optimus guessed.

"It's preferable." Ratchet agreed.

Optimus smiled. "It's not a problem, Ratchet. I will warn you that you are going to have to give them very specific boundaries on what they can plan. Give them the slightest bit of leeway, and you're screwed."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "I have never allowed another bot to run me over before, and I am certainly not starting now."

Optimus chuckled. "That honestly doesn't surprise me. You never allowed anybot, regardless of who they were, run over you." He was still amazed at just how much Ratchet's personality had remained the same despite the fact that the medic had absolutely no memory of his past. Optimus then smiled. "Of course, we could always take the time to plan Springer's creation day celebration."

"Would you have time?" Ratchet knew that he would have the time, but he wasn't sure the Prime would.

Optimus smiled. "Of course. I always made time for us to have time alone every cycle. Granted, the Senate piled so much work on me that it should have made it too difficult for me to do get through everything. But I was still able to make time for you."

"Did they hate me that much?" Ratchet asked.

Optimus gently trailed his fingers down Ratchet's arm. "I suppose so. The main point they hated was that you could not be manipulated by them and they could not use you to control me. That's what they wanted. Their hatred of you stemmed from that. There were those who simply believed you not an appropriate mate for the Prime simply because-"

"To them, I was lower class, therefore, they felt that my class wasn't high enough. Thought you needed a high class bot, more precisely a femme who was a daughter of a senator. It's the only way the Senate would have been happy." Ratchet finished.

"Exactly." Optimus smiled. "I didn't care, though. When I was still Orion Pax, the Senate couldn't have cared less. As Optimus Prime, they cared for their own personal reasons, which weren't really good ones, honestly. We had been together far too long. And they aren't going to interfere this time, either."

Ratchet nodded. "I'm glad to hear that." He thought about it a moment. "So, how did you manage to spend time with me every cycle if they threw so much at you?"

"Well, my brothers were pissed at what they did, so they helped me with it. My sire was the Prime before Sentinel, and he stated that he never had this much work. We knew that they were doing it on purpose. Probably hoped to drive a wedge between us. Never worked though." Optimus stated.

"And Grindor would not do that?" Ratchet asked.

"No. I never have too much to handle. I can do it all now. Granted, there are still senators who won't like that you are alive, but they'll deal with it." Optimus stated.

Ratchet nodded his helm.

"Regardless, we can plan the celebration." Optimus stated.

"All right." Ratchet agreed. He was rather certain the Prime would enjoy being able to help plan Springer's creation day celebration.

Noises from in the living room reached the two mechs.

"Sounds like they're up." Optimus murmured.

"Of course they are. They don't want to recharge late." Ratchet sat back up before swinging his legs over the edge of the berth. "Which is why I hope that you don't mind losing recharge on the cycles that you don't have to work in your office."

Optimus smiled. "Don't worry about it, Ratchet." He'd give up that recharge since he had his family back. He felt that spending time with his family was a great deal more important than spending time getting some extra recharge.

The two mechs got to their feet before they headed out to the living room to look after their younglings.

* * *

Bulkhead was pacing nervously as he had been doing the cycle before although he was doing so for a completely different reason.

"Okay, Bulk. You're nervous because you can't see Ratchet and the younglings. Now, you know that you're going to see Ratchet and the younglings, and you're still nervous." Arcee stated. She sat with her legs crossed and her arms crossed over her chest as she watched her lover pace. She frowned. "And I'm not sure Prime would appreciate you wearing a hole in his floor from all your pacing."

"I'm sorry, 'Cee, but you know I pace when I'm nervous. And I'm supposed to meet the Prime shortly! I'm just a construction mech! The most important mech I have ever met before was the mayor of our own town! And this is the Prime! I think I have a right to panic!" Bulkhead told her, his voice rising a bit.

Arcee smiled. "Bulkhead, I can understand why you are nervous. Most Cybertronians seem to think that the Prime believes that he is above everybot else, but Optimus doesn't. He's just another mech."

"No, he isn't. He's the Prime! He's the highest political, military, and social level anybot can reach!" Bulkhead retorted, pacing faster.

Arcee sighed before she stood up and walked over to her lover. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Bulk, please calm down. You're going to find that Optimus isn't like some of the previous Primes who think they are above us all. Optimus does not think that way. I may not know him as well as others, but I do know that about him."

"I hope so." Bulkhead fidgeted. "I just know I'm going to do something to completely embarrass myself."

Arcee tightened her hold on Bulkhead. "Don't worry about it, Bulk. It'll be fine. I promise. You've got nothing to worry about."

Bulkhead could only hope that his lover was right. The last thing he wanted to do was completely embarrass himself in front of the Prime, which would also embarrass Ratchet as well.

* * *

"BULKHEAD!"

The second that Bulkhead stepped into the Prime's quarters, he found himself accosted by his three siblings. One would think that he would be used to suddenly having the three at him, but the green mech still found himself taken off guard by all three of them at times.

Arcee chuckled at her lover's predicament. She could have told him that that would happen, but that would have meant not being able to see the expression on the mech's face. The pink and blue femme glanced over at where Ratchet and Optimus were standing. She was more than a bit surprised to see that Ratchet and Optimus were standing rather close. Close enough that their EM fields would have mixed. The femme wouldn't have thought that the two would have wanted to stand that close to each other, but they were. She wondered just what had happened between the two to make them so at ease with each other, but quickly came to the decision that that wasn't any of her concern and that she shouldn't dwell on it too much.

"Hey guys. How're you liking things here?" Bulkhead asked, smiling at his younger siblings.

"It's so cool, Bulkhead! We've gotten to meet our family! And there's two other younglings here that we're able to play with! They're our cousins!" Lightshow told him excitedly.

"And there's this cool playground we can go to! It's right next to the palace crystal gardens!" Springer added exuberantly.

"And we got to meet our sire! He's here!" Hot Rod finished.

Bulkhead smiled at them, glad to see that they were so thrilled over meeting their family after all this time. "That's great. I'm glad you guys have gotten to meet your family." He truly was, especially since they seemed so thrilled at the prospect.

Ratchet pulled on Optimus's arm, motioning for him to go on.

Optimus nodded, knowing better than to ever piss Ratchet off. Amnesia or not, the Prime knew that he would end up slagged by Ratchet if he refused to do anything Ratchet asked him to do. He stepped forward. "Bulkhead."

The moment Bulkhead heard his designation, he immediately stood straight up. "Prime."

Optimus smiled at the green mech. "Please. There is no need for formality here. You are important to Ratchet and to our creations, meaning that you have no need to be formal with me."

"As you wish. Optimus." It was strange calling the Prime by his name instead of his title, but Bulkhead figured that as long as it's what the Prime wanted, then that's what he would do.

"I'm glad to finally meet you, Bulkhead. Ratchet has told me a great deal about you. As have Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod." Optimus told him.

"I suppose doc also told you he perfected his wrench-throwing on me. I still have some dents." Bulkhead remarked.

"If you and your brother wouldn't do everything in your power to anger me, then I wouldn't have to use it." Ratchet retorted.

Arcee chuckled. "What do mean "perfected" it, Bulk? He had the perfect aim from the start. First time one of you made him mad, he hit you effortlessly."

"Uh, yeah." Bulkhead rubbed his helm. "Sorry about starting that."

Optimus laughed outright. "There's no starting, Bulkhead. Ratchet's been doing that since before I knew him. It was Sideswipe and Sunstreaker who he perfected his aim on." Optimus looked amused. "It just means he didn't lose his touch along with his memory."

"He was a legend in Creon." Arcee smiled. "Gained the title of "wrench-wielding medic" in about two cycles after he started working."

"When you have patients who act stupidly, there is no other alternative." Ratchet stated.

Optimus decided that Ratchet had the same approach to his patients as he did before. Meaning that when he did get back to practicing, his patients, Wheeljack in particular, were in trouble.

Springer, Hot Rod, and Lightshow were obviously were happy to see their big brother as they commanded all of his attention at the moment.

Arcee decided that now was the time to talk to Optimus. She had been meaning to apologize to the Prime for not telling him that Ratchet was alive at the start, and this was probably the best chance that's he would have. After all, once the Senate knew that Ratchet was alive, they were going to command all of the Prime's attention for quite some time.

Optimus had stood back and merely watched Bulkhead interact with his younglings. The Prime could easily tell that the three truly loved Bulkhead, and he could see just how much Bulkhead loved them. It made him see just how important Bulkhead really was to them. He knew that he wasn't going to have a problem with Bulkhead being around them. At least based on what he was seeing right then. Bulkhead did have a large and imposing frame, Optimus mused, but the green mech was apparently a rather gentle one.

"Prime?"

Optimus turned his attention to Arcee, who had spoken to him. "What is it, Arcee? And please, just call me Optimus." He hated the use of the title simply because it implied that he was greater than all other Cybertronians when the reality was that he was merely another Cybertronian. Just one called on by Primus to lead and guide his people.

Arcee hadn't expected to be asked to call her Prime by his name. She had a feeling that that might change in a few moments, though. "Sir, I just wanted to apologize to you."

Optimus was a bit taken off guard by that. "Apologize? For what?"

Arcee glanced over at where Ratchet was. "For not telling you that Ratchet was still alive from the start. I shouldn't have kept that s secret like I did." She turned her gaze back to her Prime. "I kept them all from you for far too long, and I am truly sorry for that."

Optimus watched Arcee a moment before he spoke. "Arcee, while I don't deny that I wish I had known they were alive much sooner, you did what you thought was right." He looked over at where Ratchet was before his optics trailed over to his younglings. "The fact is that they are alive, and that is what is important to me. I wish I had been there all this time, but considering what you thought to be true, you did what you felt was right." He then looked back at Arcee. "Arcee, the moment that you found out the truth, you decided to tell Ratchet and bring him here. That's what matters."

Arcee was more than a bit stunned. She had thought for sure that the Prime at least would be angry at her for her decision. "Why does no bot seem angry that I didn't say anything before now?"

Optimus smiled at her. "Because we're all just glad that Ratchet is alive. We have spent the last orn believing that Ratchet was gone. We're all happy to have him back. To have them all back."

Arcee still couldn't understand why they weren't angry at her.

"Arcee, despite what you think, you did what you felt was right. Given what you knew, it was the only option that made sense to you." Optimus looked back at his family. "And I'm just glad to have Ratchet back after all this time."

Arcee still just could not understand why they weren't angrier at her. She had thought that they would be angry at her for keeping Ratchet a secret for so long. It was something that she could not understand.

"Stop worrying about it, Arcee. No bot here is angry at you." Optimus knew that his brothers were upset with her, but he could handle Megatron and Galvatron. "You can stop worrying about it."

"If you say so." Arcee still wasn't sure.

Optimus smiled. He knew that she was still nervous, but he had no intention of bringing any harm or charges against her. She had been the one to not only save his family, but also bring his family back to him. For that, he would always be grateful to her.

* * *

Ratchet leaned back on the bench he was sitting on as he watched Optimus playing with their younglings in the Crystal gardens. He smiled as he watched them, knowing that Optimus was going to be a good sire to them. He could tell that already.

Ratchet had been rather surprised when Optimus told him that they were going to spend the cycle together as a family. Ratchet was glad of that, though, as he knew that his younglings would love spending time with their sire like this.

Optimus, for his part, was beyond thrilled to be able to spend time with his mate and his younglings like this. He would always hate that he had already missed so much of their lives, but he was going to be there for the rest of their lives.

"Hey, Sire. When was this playground built?" Lightshow asked from where she was playing on the bars above where her sire was.

"I had them built while your carrier was still carrying you. I thought that it would be something fun for you." Optimus replied.

Ratchet chose not to mention that Bluestreak had already told them this. He didn't plan to interfere with the Prime's time with them unless it was absolutely necessary.

"So, we can play on them anytime?" Hot Rod asked.

"Certainly." Optimus then remembered to add, "As long as an adult is with you, of course."

Ratchet smiled, glad to hear that. He could see that his mate was starting to think like a sire, which was a good thing. Ratchet figured that that night would be a good time to spend a bit more time talking with Optimus and getting to know him.

* * *

Grindor had to admit that he had been rather shocked when he learned that Ratchet was alive and had been alive all this time. He had been even more surprised to learn that Arcee had known that Ratchet was alive and had kept it a secret, believing that Ratchet's life would have been in danger had she revealed that Ratchet was alive.

Grindor had seen that Optimus had no intention of bringing any kind of hardships against Arcee for keeping Ratchet a secret, and the head of the Senate had looked through their laws to ensure that there was no law that could prosecute Arcee for her actions. He had been relieved to see that Arcee had broken no laws. After all, Grindor knew that Shadowstrike would still face attempted murder charges against Ratchet, and the other Senate members were sure to try to go after Arcee to get back at them all for Shadowstrike's prosecution. Grindor needed to be a step ahead of the Senate, and he was in this.

Grindor leaned back in his chair. He had been shocked to learn of Ratchet's survival, but at the same time, he was glad. It meant that his Prime would no longer suffer over the death of his mate. Grindor was also relived to learn that the sparklings Ratchet had been carrying survived as well. It meant a great deal to them all to learn that those two were alive as well.

Grindor had no idea how the Senate would react to the fact that Ratchet was alive, but he knew that there were those who would be angry that Ratchet was actually alive. He also knew that there would be those who would do everything in their power to prevent the Prime from bonding with Ratchet once again. It wouldn't happen, but Grindor expected it to be protested.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Grindor called.

The door opened, and Galvatron entered the room. "You wanted to see me, Senator?" Grindor was the only one that Galvatron could say that to without having utter sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes. Commander, I wanted to suggest having tighter security measures on the Palace as well as having a few extra guards that you trust inexplicitly stationed throughout the palace." Grindor told him.

Galvatron was a bit taken off guard by that. "For what reason?"

"For Ratchet's protection. We both know that there are senators who still hold a great hatred for Ratchet. If any of them were to get in the palace or get somebot that they have spying on Prime in the palace, they might attempt to bring harm to Ratchet or even to the younglings." Grindor explained.

Galvatron curled his fingers into fists. "You believe they would do this?"

"I believe that there are those who are a threat to Ratchet, and I believe that they would attempt to get in to spy on Prime. Should they discover that Ratchet is alive before we are prepared to inform them, they may try to bring harm to him, and I do not wish for that to happen. The greater security should aid in that." Grindor said.

Galvatron nodded his helm in agreement. "I understand. Truthfully, Optimus plans to spend as much time as he can with Ratchet and the younglings. It will be hard to find them without him, and even when they do, I am rather certain that Ratchet would be with family."

"Still, the extra security cannot hurt." Grindor told him.

Galvatron nodded. "I'll get to it. And I'll also inform Optimus of the additional security and the reason why. I'll also make sure he approves of the added guards, and Jazz would be good to include in on that."

* * *

Optimus nodded his helm. "Grindor makes a good point. Additional guards would not be a bad idea. There's no telling what those senators might do if they were to learn that Ratchet was alive." It made the Prime glad that Ratchet was visiting with some of the family, which included Bluestreak, Sideswipe, and Sunstreaker.

"Ya know, Ah think Shockwave 'n Soundwave would be good ones. Laserbeak and Ratbat could make surveillance trips around the compound. 'Sides, both are trained soldiers and could take on anybot." Jazz stated.

"An excellent idea. It would also be a good idea to let Ratchet meet them." Megatron suggested.

No bot argued with that.

"Probably would be a good idea to have a few other bots on hand. Ones that we know would do anything to protect Ratchet." Jazz suggested.

Galvatron thought about it a moment before thinking of a few. "How about Hound, Trailbreaker, and Inferno?"

"You realize with Inferno comes Red Alert." Megatron stated.

"Actually, Red Alert and his paranoia might come in handy. He thinks every little thing is a threat, and in this case, that paranoia might keep us one step ahead of anything that might happen." Optimus stated. He also knew that a security upgrade might not be a bad thing.

"Everybot needs to know 'bout these upgrades in security and why. Ah know it's precautionary, but better to keep 'em all in the loop." Jazz stated.

Optimus nodded in agreement.

* * *

Ratchet looked at Optimus a bit worriedly. "Should I be concerned?"

"No, Ratchet. We're just being careful. All the bots we're bringing in are ones that knew you before and who you can trust. We wouldn't let them on the grounds unless we were absolutely certain that they are trustworthy." Optimus assured him. He reached out and wrapped an arm around Ratchet's shoulders. "It will be fine. I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you."

Ratchet leaned against the Prime. "I assumed as much." He smiled. "I get the feeling that anybot that wanted to hurt us would have to go through you."

Optimus smiled before he leaned over and kissed Ratchet. "You got that right."

Ratchet then held up a datapad. "This also told me that."

Optimus frowned. "What is that?"

"Well, I took your advice and looked through my old things. I came across this, which turns out to be my old diary. I've found it rather informative." Ratchet stated. He glanced at his mate. "Have you read it?"

"No. As I recall, you threatened to rip my spark out if I ever dared to read it. And I knew that you would do it." Optimus said.

Ratchet nodded. "That does sound like something I would say and do." He then raised an optic ridge. "Just out of curiosity, why was I not told about the Dinobots?"

"Oh, frag!" Optimus exclaimed.

**CLANK!**

"Ow!" Optimus grabbed his helm. "What was that for?"

Ratchet glared at him. "Three younglings in recharge. I don't like them hearing that kind of language."

"Oh. Sorry." Optimus rubbed his helm, realizing he'd better watch it if he wanted as few wrenches to the helm as possible. "Anyway, it honestly hasn't crossed my processors. Probably none of ours." He winced. "We're all in trouble the moment the Dinobots find out you have been here so long, and we didn't tell them."

Ratchet nodded. "And can I assume my diary was correct when it said that Wheeljack and I built them and combined our spark energies to create them?"

Optimus nodded. "It was an experiment that actually worked. The Dinobots see you two as their carrier and sire. Since you actually are a carrier and Wheeljack actually is a sire-" Optimus started.

"They call us those respective titles based on what we already are." Ratchet finished, nodding in understanding.

"I can take you to meet them tomorrow. They actually live in a section of the grounds." Optimus smiled. "We sort of make sure that there's a large section that's off limits that's for the Dinobots only. They can be a bit territorial."

Ratchet grew concerned. "They won't harm Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod, right?"

Optimus chuckled. "More like they'll kill anybot that tries to harm them. While they are very territorial, they are particularly protective of you. And any of your creations." He smiled. "In fact, Grimlock and the other Dinobots are also protective of Prowl and Smokescreen along with their sons along with Jetfire and Jetstorm."

Ratchet nodded. "Should I be concerned about meeting them?"

"Only if you fear possibly being hugged to death." Optimus answered.

* * *

"CARRIER!"

Ratchet was stunned at the sight of what could only be described as creatures from another planet. He had never seen such creatures and wondered where he and Wheeljack had come up with these alternate modes.

Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer looked up in shock at the five Dinobots.

Grimlock then transformed into his robot mode before grabbing his carrier into a rather tight hug, lifting Ratchet right off his pedes.

Ratchet released a shocked cry at his pedes left the ground only to be held in a tight grip.

Optimus was a bit amused at this and knew he'd probably pay for not telling Ratchet about how the Dinobots looked later on. He thought that it would be funnier this way, even if he was going to be in deep slag when Ratchet got him alone again.

"Me Grimlock glad to see you, Carrier. They tell us Dinobots you dead, but we Dinobots not believe it. We Dinobots right." Grimlock told him.

Lightshow curiously made her way over to Slag, who was still in robot mode. She reached up and touched his horn.

"Who you?" Slag asked.

Optimus hadn't noticed Lightshow making her way over to the Dinobots and was about to make her come back.

Lightshow smiled brightly at the large mech, not showing a bit of fear. "I'm Lightshow! Ratchet's my carrier, and Optimus is my sire!"

Grimlock dropped Ratchet unceremoniously to the ground. "So you our sister?"

Ratchet glared up at the large mech. "Yes. She is." He motioned to Hot Rod and- "Where's Springer?"

Optimus looked around, not seeing his son.

"These guys are cool!"

Optimus and Ratchet both looked up to see that Springer was up on the air on Swoop's back.

"Me Swoop like little brother." Swoop stated.

Ratchet about had a spark attack.

"Don't worry. He's fine with Swoop." Optimus assured his mate.

Hot Rod decided to get in on it and ran over to the Dinobots, going right up to Grimlock, who had already returned to his alternate mode.

Optimus helped Ratchet to his feet. "Don't worry, Ratchet. One thing about them is that they love younglings." The Prime looked at the Dinobots, who were perfectly happy paying attention to the three younglings, who had immediately become absolutely enthralled with the Dinobots. "They won't let them get hurt."

Ratchet rubbed his back. "I wasn't so lucky."

Optimus chuckled. "Sorry about that. Grimlock doesn't think when he gets excited."

Ratchet looked up at the Dinobots. "Where did Wheeljack and I come up with their design?"

"You two were studying the life of a distant planet and wanted to try to make a Cybertronian based on the design. You succeeded, but decided not to go further with it." Optimus stated.

Ratchet nodded. "They are certainly interesting."

"Hmm. I thought so, too." Optimus smiled. "They like the outdoors, which is why this area was sectioned off for them. It's easier." He motioned to a large building to the side. "When there is acid rain, they go in there to get out of it. It's reinforced, like the rest of the buildings on the grounds."

Ratchet nodded, glad that they were protected. He glanced up at the Dinobots. He could feel a strong connection to them, meaning that they were definitely creations of his spark. He was also glad to have met them.

Optimus smiled at his mate, glad that he had brought his mate out to them. He was certain that this was something that his mate had needed.

Besides, if the Dinobots had found out any other way that Ratchet was alive, they would have went on a rampage through the palace itself.

* * *

Let me know what you thought!


	15. Chapter 15

Here's the next Chapter.

**Just to warn everyone, there's some rather graphic sticky in the latter part of the chapter. Just a warning for anyone that doesn't like that kind of thing!**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 15

Ratchet and Wheeljack were sitting in the playroom, sipping at their cubes of energon while they watched their younglings playing together.

Wheeljack smiled. "Ya know, I never thought that we would be able to watch our younglings play together. After what we thought happened to you, it seemed like an impossible dream." He glanced over at his brother before picking up one of the energon cookies sitting on the table. "Glad to see that we can watch them together now."

Ratchet smiled. "I agree. Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow are used to having younglings to play with, so I'm glad that they have Jetfire and Jetstorm to play with." He then glanced over at his brother. "Though I don't want them falling behind in their studies."

"No worries. A tutor comes here and teaches Jetfire and Jetstorm. He can see where they are and teach 'em, too." Wheeljack assured him.

Ratchet frowned at that.

"What's wrong?" Wheeljack was a bit confused.

"It's just that they're used to going to a school. I hate taking that from them." Ratchet stated.

"For now, a tutor is the best route. Once it comes out to the public that you are alive and that those three are yours and Optimus's, it'll be rough on them. Best to let things settle, then you and Optimus can discuss about letting them go to a school." Wheeljack suggested.

"Well, all right." Ratchet agreed. He didn't like the idea, but figured it was probably for the best. For the time being at least.

"These energon cookies are delicious!" Wheeljack stated.

"It was a recipe that a friend in Creon gave me. My younglings love them, so I thought I'd make them for them." Ratchet stated.

Wheeljack stared at Ratchet incredulously. "You made them?"

"Why does everybot keep saying that? The ones who worked in the kitchen said that as well." Ratchet shook his helm. "What is so odd about a mech wanting to make energon treats for their creations?"

"For starters, higher class bots don't do menial tasks like that. Second of all, you **never **had a knack for such things. In fact, even before Optimus became Prime, you never did that kind of thing. You hated it." Wheeljack replied.

Ratchet smiled. "So I changed in that respect. I was raising them alone and had to learn such things. I found that I like doing it." He looked over at his creations. "And they're worth it."

Wheeljack shook his helm. "I might be dropping by your quarters a lot, especially when I know that you've been making treats."

Ratchet smiled. "Be my guest." He picked up one of the cookies himself. "Now, what made us decide to make the Dinobots?"

Wheeljack laughed. "Well, we had been studying this planet in another galaxy that had been recently discovered. We noticed that the planet was inhabited by these creatures, so I got the idea to build the Dinobots and based their alternate modes on these creatures. We combined the energy of our sparks to give them life." He rubbed the back of his helm. "Sort of why they see us as their creators. When we told them sparkling were created when a sire and a carrier merged their sparks, they considered us their creators. Didn't faze either of us that they called us that." He laughed especially since. "We created them as sparklings and raised them together."

"Was this before I had Prowl and Smokescreen?" Ratchet asked, finishing the cookie.

"Yeah. The Dinobots were adults by the time you got sparked with Prowl and Smokescreen. We also had to explain about the Dinobots to Orion, err, Optimus. He understood. I guess he understood because he was an archivist and knew about science and stuff."

Ratchet nodded. "Something tells me that I might be seeing a lot of the Dinobots."

"Probably. They were really attached to ya. Wouldn't be surprised if they hang around the palace more than they do their area of the grounds." Wheeljack stated.

"I must admit I'm surprised that Optimus sectioned off a part of the grounds for them. Ratchet mused.

Wheeljack grinned. "He loves ya more than anything. Anything you asked for, he was willing to give ya if he could. Could never say no to you."

"Bluestreak mentioned that as well." Ratchet stated.

"'Cause it's true, though ya rarely asked him for anything. Normally, he just knew when it was something you wanted and did what he could to give it to you." Wheeljack stated.

Ratchet had to wonder why he would go to all that trouble.

Wheeljack seemed to read his processors. "He did it for ya because he loves ya, Ratch. That's all there is to it." He smiled. "'Sides, you did the same thing for him."

Ratchet supposed that that was a fair trade.

* * *

"Please! Please! Please!"

Ratchet rubbed his chevron, feeling his processors ache at the begging of his three younglings. It was difficult to say no when it was all three of them wanting something else.

"Can we please stay with them tonight?" Hot Rod pleaded.

Ratchet looked from his younglings to Nemesis Prime and Alpha Trion. "This is why you do not say things in front of them."

"We're sorry, Ratchet. We weren't thinking." Alpha Trion apologized.

Nemesis and Alpha Trion had gone to Ratchet and asked if they could keep Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow for him and Optimus overnight. Unfortunately, they said it where the three could hear him, and the three younglings immediately started begging their carrier to let them go.

Ratchet sighed. "I know." He glanced down at the pleading optics of his creations. He supposed it couldn't hurt. Plus, he knew that these three were the first grand-creations that Alpha Trion and Nemesis Prime had had, so they wanted to have time with them. And he couldn't blame them for that. "All right. You three can stay with your grand-creators tonight."

"Thank you!" All three younglings hugged their carrier's legs.

Ratchet smiled. "Just make sure that you behave yourselves."

"We will." the three chorused.

Ratchet nodded before looking at Nemesis and Alpha Trion. "If you need me for any reason-"

"We know where you are, Ratchet." Nemesis chose not to point out that they live in the palace as well. Just a different part of the palace.

"All right." Ratchet knew that his younglings would be safe with the two mechs. He supposed he was just a bit anxious about it considering the fact it was the first time they were spending the night with bots he barely knew. Though his spark told him that they would be just fine.

Nemesis and Alpha Trion left Ratchet and Optimus's quarters with the three younglings.

Ratchet allowed a smile to cross his lips. Since their younglings wouldn't be there, he could always plan a little romance with his mate. He had a feeling that Optimus would appreciate a bit of romance all things considered. He went about doing what he needed to get that set up.

* * *

Optimus had spent a great deal of the cycle in his office working on a great deal of the political aspect of his place as Prime. It had been rather disappointing to him as he had wanted to spend time with his family, but hadn't been able to.

Ratchet had assured Optimus that he understood and that he knew the Prime had a job to do. The medic wasn't about to hold that against the Prime.

Optimus made his way back to his quarters, intending to spend some time realizing with his mate and younglings. That's all he had been thinking about the entire cycle. It's all he wanted at the moment.

When Optimus walked into his quarters, he noticed that the lights were dimmed. He also noticed that there were small lights set up in various places throughout the sitting room, which gave a somewhat romantic air to it. On the table in the room sat what appeared to be a few cubes of energon and a couple of oil cakes. "Ratchet?" The Prime's voice held a bit of confusion. He started when arms wrapped around him from behind.

"What do you think?" Ratchet murmured.

"What is this?" Optimus was still confused.

"Well, your creators wanted to keep our younglings for the night, and I couldn't well say no since they asked where those three could hear it. Since it was just us for the night, I thought a little romance was in order." Ratchet explained.

Optimus chuckled before turning to face his mate and leaned down to kiss him. "I think that that's a great idea." He smiled. "Most bots wouldn't think that you were capable of pulling off romance, considering your normal temperament."

Ratchet smirked. "You tell anybot about my romantic side, and I'll rip your spark out, Optimus. With your own hand."

"I've heard that threat as well." Optimus wrapped his arms around Ratchet. "And I wouldn't tell another bot about this."

"Good. Now, I'm rather certain that you haven't had any energon in a while." Ratchet stated.

Optimus nodded.

The two walked over to the table, and Optimus noticed that there were cookies on the table as well.

"The cookies were left over from where I made them for Hot Rod, Springer, and Lightshow." Ratchet told him.

"You made them?" Optimus asked.

Ratchet nodded.

"Ratchet, you don't have to do things like that. There are bots here who can do that for you." Optimus told him.

"I saw no reason to have another bot do it when I don't do much during the cycle as it is. Besides, I enjoy doing it."

Ratchet told him as the two sat down.

"Still, you don't have to-" Optimus was cut off as Ratchet shoved one of the cookies into his mouth.

Ratchet didn't want him to go on about how he didn't need to do menial tasks, so the medic figured he's make Optimus be quiet. "Stop telling me what I do and don't have to do and just enjoy the night. Other than nights that our creations stay with our creators, we won't have the chance for romance until they get older."

Optimus bit the cookies. "I suppose so." He glanced down at the remaining part of the cookie. "Ratchet, these are delicious."

"So Wheeljack told me. It was a recipe a friend in Creon gave me." Ratchet told him.

Optimus had to admit that he was glad to see Ratchet liking something else. He'd get an audio full from senators who thought such menial tasks shouldn't be performed by the Prime's mate, but Optimus wouldn't care. If this was what Ratchet wanted to do, Optimus wouldn't stop him. "They are good, Ratchet. Can I assume the cakes are your doing as well?"

Ratchet smiled. "You might say that. Thought we could treat ourselves, although we're going to have to have them again so that our creations can enjoy them as well."  
Optimus smiled. "I can imagine that they would like it when you let them have these."

Ratchet nodded. "More than you can imagine." He smiled. "I know that I'll have to make them for Springer's creations day celebration. Speaking of which, do you mind if Breakdown and Knock Out come here for the celebration? I know that they would like to be here. They've already contacted me asking about it."

"Of course not. They are welcome to stay in the palace as well. It will also give me the chance to meet them." Optimus smiled. "And if their reaction to Bulkhead was any indication, I think that our creations would like to see them as well."

"They would. They've always been attached to their brothers, and Knock Out has been with Breakdown for so long that they already consider Knock Out part of the family." Ratchet smiled. "As do I. I suppose the fact that I was Knock Out's mentor in his medical training also aided in my fondness for him. He just worries about his paint job a bit too much for my taste."

"Sounds like Sunstreaker." Optimus mused.

"How do you think they'll react to each other then?" Ratchet asked.

"I'm not sure. My guess is that they'll either instantly hate each other or instantly be best friends." Optimus replied.

"Considering their personalities, I fear that they will compete with each other to see who has the best paint job." Ratchet stated.

"Primus help us all." Optimus muttered.

"Agreed." Ratchet wasn't used to so much quiet, so he was rather stunned by how quiet the room was.

"It only took me a few cycles to get used to the fact that this room would always be noisy thanks to our creations. It's odd that it's so quiet." Optimus murmured.

"I know the feeling." Ratchet assured him. He hid his smirk. Though if the night went the way he was planning, there would be plenty of noise coming from their berth room that night.

* * *

Optimus released a loud moan as he felt Ratchet's fingers trail over his frame. He could get used to Ratchet's desire to explore his frame considering how good it made him feel. And how good it was to have his mate back to do this to him.

Ratchet smiled as he watched the expression of pure pleasure flash across his mate's faceplates. He so enjoyed making his mate feel this way. He most certainly enjoys the expressions that played across his faceplates, and the sounds that the Prime made lit Ratchet's own circuits on fire.

"Primus, Ratchet!" Optimus reached up and trailed his hands down Ratchet's back. "I didn't think that this was what you meant by a romantic night.

Ratchet smiled. "Well, I must confess that I rather enjoyed this the last time we did it, so I thought we'd have a repeat performance." He leaned down and licked at the Prime's neck cables, enjoying the whimper that escaped from the red and blue mech. "Besides, at least we don't have to worry about our creations accidentally walking in or overhearing us this time."

Optimus knew that that was a plus. He then gasped as Ratchet's fingers slipped into the armor at his hips, causing spikes of pleasure go through him. "Slag it! You learn fast!"

Ratchet chuckled. "Of course I do. I'm a medic. I have to learn fast." He raised up to look at his mate. "And it puts me on even ground with you since you already know all of my pleasure points."  
Optimus smirked. "I love hearing you. So sue me."

Ratchet smiled before he leaned down and kissed his mate, bringing one hand up to his face as he easily slid his glossa into his mate's mouth.

Optimus moaned into the kiss as he let Ratchet explore his mouth for a moment he started to fight the medic for dominance in the kiss. He had usually been the dominate one before, plus his Prime coding urged him to dominate. Even in the berth.

Somehow, Ratchet wasn't surprised that his mate preferred dominance. He broke the kiss before leaning down to kiss the Prime's neck. "Were you always the dominate one?"

"Hmm. For the most part." Optimus would willingly admit that he was willing to let Ratchet be the dominate one at times in their relationship, although the Prime knew that Ratchet enjoyed being dominated by him. Which was why it was only a rare occasion when either Optimus felt the need to be dominated or Ratchet felt the desire to be dominate.

"I thought as much." Ratchet murmured. He had a feeling that the only reason Optimus hadn't turned the tables on him yet was because the Prime didn't want to push him too far. Ratchet smirked against the Prime's neck cables. Well, he'd wait a bit before seeing if the Prime kept up this submissive act.

Optimus released a groan as he felt Ratchet start to move on down his frame. It took every bit of willpower he possessed to not let his chest plates open the moment that the medic's glossa trailed over his chest plates, particularly over the seams where they split. That point was just too sensitive for Optimus, and he barely stopped his chest plates from opening on the first contact. His fingers curled around the sheets on the berth in an attempt to stop himself. "Primus, Ratchet!"

Ratchet smirked at the sound. He found that he liked that sound as he continued mapping out the Prime's frame. He had found himself already becoming rather familiar with the Prime's frame. Or most of it anyway. He'd be familiar with the rest of the frame if he had his way.

Optimus found himself fidgeting as he felt his circuits became very heated up. He could feel the charge building rapidly even as his cooling fans kicked on. He was getting close to the point where he was going to have to overload or the charge wouldn't leave.

Ratchet then trailed his hand on down the Prime's frame past his hips and between his legs to his interfacing panel. He could feel how hot the panel already was, a clear sign that his circuitry was already building toward an overload. Ratchet smirked, intending to help that along even more. "What's wrong, Optimus? Not shy are you?"

Optimus groaned. He couldn't stop his panel from retracting or his spike from extending. "Ratchet, do you-AHH!" He was cut off by the feel of Ratchet's hand around his spike, gently stroking.

Ratchet smirked. "Of course I know what I'm doing, Optimus. I might have amnesia, but I do know what my actions are causing."

Optimus couldn't suppress the shudder that ran through his frame at those words. It meant that Ratchet was purposefully charging his systems. It also meant that Ratchet intended for the Prime to overload.

Ratchet continued to gently stroke the Prime's spike as he shifted his frame so that his face was level with the spike before he removed his hand and took the tip of Optimus's spike into his mouth.

Optimus released a loud gasp at this action as he reached down and grasped Ratchet's helm in his hands. "Primus, Ratchet!"

Ratchet smirked around the Prime's spike before he started to suck gently on the tip of the spike, bringing his glossa out to lick the tip.

Optimus gasped as he bucked up slightly. Primus! It had been far too long since the last time this had been done to him. He had thought that it would be a long time before Ratchet would ever do this to him, but he was certainly not questioning a gift when he was given one.

While Ratchet continued to gently suck on the Prime's spike, he allowed one of his hands to trail down to his own open interfacing panel before slipping one of his fingers into the valve. He released a groan at that, which sent vibrations through the Prime's spike.

"Ah! Ratchet!" Optimus had to forcefully stop himself from bucking too hard into his mate's mouth. He didn't want to hurt him.

Ratchet slowly started to thrust the single finger into his valve as he took more of the Prime's spike into his mouth, wanting to pleasure his mate as much as possible without driving him over the edge. He then slid a second finger into his own valve, carefully stretching himself so that he wouldn't be hurt while they interfaced. He knew enough to know that Optimus would blame himself if Ratchet got hurt interfacing, and Ratchet didn't want anything to ruin this night.

Optimus had pretty much forgotten what it felt like to interface with his mate. He hadn't had any real desire since he had "lost" Ratchet, but now, it had all started coming back. And it was driving him crazy! He just wanted his mate to finish him already!

Once Ratchet felt that he was prepared enough for his mate, he removed his fingers from his valve at the same time he let go of the Prime's spike.

Optimus released a cry of protest. He had been so close! "Primus, Ratchet! Please!"

Ratchet smirked as he moved up. "I don't want you to finish off just yet."

Optimus released a whimper at that, wondering just what Ratchet was planning. There was no way that the medic would want to interface already.

Ratchet shifted his frame so that his legs were thrown on either side of the Prime's own frame. He steadied himself above his lover by placing his hands on Optimus's chest as he positioned himself over the spike beneath him.

Optimus panted, wishing for an overload. He looked up and met Ratchet's optics for a moment before he suddenly felt his spike engulfed in a wet, tight valve. He released a loud moan as his hands instantly came up to clamp on the medic's hips. His frame shook as he fought his instinct to just flip them over and frag his mate through the berth.

Ratchet himself moaned in pleasure as he felt his mate's spike stretch him out just perfectly. He had done a good job of preparing himself as he didn't feel any pain as he sank all the way down on the spike.

Optimus's hands tightened on the medic's hips. "Primus, Ratchet! Are you-"

"Sure?" Ratchet smirked. "I hardly think I would have done this had I not." He then rocked his hips slightly, drawing pleasured gasps from both of them. He then leaned down so that his lips were right by the Prime's audio receptors. "Now, why don't you show me just how strong you really are?"

Optimus released a feral growl at that as he easily and quickly flipped them over so that Ratchet was beneath him. The red and blue mech pinned Ratchet's hands to the berth before he pulled out of the valve until just the tip of his spike remained inside of the delicious valve before he slammed back inside.

Ratchet gasped at the powerful thrust as he arched up against the much stronger frame. He lifted his legs and wrapped them around the Prime's waist, enjoying how the Prime sank even deeper into his valve on the next thrust. He released a loud cry at the next powerful thrust. "Primus, Optimus! Ah! Yes! Oh, Primus, yes!"

Optimus growled right at Ratchet's audio before he nipped a bit roughly at the medic's neck cables, enjoying the gasp that action earned him. "You wanted to know how strong I am." Another hard thrust. "I'll show you just how strong I am, Ratchet!" He slammed a bit harder into the medic, causing Ratchet to arch up slightly. "Just remember that you asked for it!"

Ratchet released a loud cry as he felt the Prime's spike strike the sensors at the back of his valve. "Oh, Primus, yes! Don't stop!"

Optimus continued pounding into his mate, enjoying the sounds he was drawing from his mate at the same time he was enjoying being able to make love to his mate once again. It had been far too long since they had last been together like this, and the red and blue mech was enjoying it immensely.

Ratchet gasped as another hard thrust hit him. He could feel his overload rapidly building, but he could also feel a strong urge for something else. And he went on his instinct, letting his chest plates split apart to reveal his spark.

Optimus heard the click of his mate's chest plates and released a surprised gasp as he was suddenly bathed in the brilliant blue light of his mate's spark. "Ratchet, are-" Optimus voice was breathless as he stalled his thrusting a moment.

"Yes! Primus, yes, Optimus!" Ratchet gasped, squirming as he wanted, needed more.

Optimus had never been able to deny his mate before, and he wasn't going to be able to now. He opened his own chest plates and slowly merged his spark with his mate's as he started pounding into his mate once more.

Ratchet gasped as he felt Optimus's spark merge with his. He was stunned at the amount of love that he felt pouring through the Prime's spark and into his.

Likewise, Optimus was a bit surprised by how much he could feel the medic loved him. He knew that Ratchet had no memory of him, and now he knew that Ratchet was telling the truth when he had told Optimus that his spark recognized him and loved him.

What happened next was something that neither mech had expected when they chose to merge.

Both started to see the other's memories, an act that only happened when two sparks were bonding together.

Optimus could see Ratchet's memories from the time he woke up after the attack in Creon up to this point. He saw the life that Ratchet had lived in Creon and saw all that his mate had gone through raising Hot Rod, Lightshow, and Springer alone. He also saw how much Arcee, Bulkhead, Breakdown, and Knock Out meant to the medic.

Likewise, Ratchet was able to see brief flashes of the life that the two had shared together before Ratchet was captured by the Quintessons. He could see just how devastated the Prime had been at his death and, by extension, the deaths of their sparklings. He saw how much pain and grief the Prime had suffered throughout the medic's absence. Ratchet also felt how relieved the Prime was at the fact that he had Ratchet and their younglings with him now.

The feeling of the bond forming pushed both mechs over the edge as they overloaded at the same time, the bright flare of their sparks near blinding.

Optimus collapsed on top of Ratchet, unable to hold himself up after the powerful overload and the reforming of his bond with Ratchet.

Ratchet was in a similar state, completely breathless from their interfacing.

Both mechs' cooling fans were working in overdrive to cool the two mechs down. They were exhausted, and probably would go into recharge before long.

Once he recovered enough, the Prime rose up and slowly pulled out of Ratchet and closed his chest plates before he moved to lay beside Ratchet.

Ratchet's venting was finally starting to even out as he closed his own chest plates.

Neither mech could ignore the pulsing bond between them. They couldn't deny that their sparks had bonded again without them activating the proper protocols to allow a bond to form. And neither could deny that they were able to feel the other.

"That was unexpected." Ratchet murmured.

"Agreed." Optimus was quiet a moment before he spoke. "Do you regret it?"

Ratchet turned on side to look at his mate. "No. Something has always felt missing. I don't feel that way anymore. This isn't a bad thing."

Optimus smiled before he leaned forward and kissed Ratchet." I'm glad." He then frowned. "I'm just not sure why it happened. I didn't activate those protocols."

"Nor did I. It might be because we were bonded before. Our sparks simply recognized each other and instantly started reforming the bond." Ratchet shrugged. "Suppose it doesn't matter."

Optimus nodded, relieved that Ratchet wasn't upset about this turn of events. He reached over and wrapped his arms around his mate, pulling Ratchet close. "Guess we'll need to tell our family tomorrow."

Ratchet nodded. "Well, look on the bright side."

"There's another bright side?" To Optimus, having that bond back was the best thing that could have happened to him. It was the bright side of this situation.

"Yes. Now the Senate won't be able to say a word about you deciding to be with me again. We can tell them we're bonded, and if they want a medic to confirm it, that medic won't have a choice but to confirm it." Ratchet answered.

"Hmm. That is true." Optimus did see that as a bright spot. "It'll also mean the Senate can stop trying to force their daughters at me or exult their qualities. I have all I need right here."

"Glad to hear it." Ratchet murmured.

Optimus could tell that his mate was exhausted, and truth be told, so was he.

The two mechs drifted off into recharge.

* * *

"How in the seven levels of the Pit did this happen?!" Galvatron snarled, glaring at the mech across from him.

The mech, Crossbow, swallowed thickly. "We weren't aware anything as wrong until the alarms sounded, and by the time we were able to get there, she was gone."

Galvatron growled. "Put all guards on high alert at the base! I'll inform Prime and High Lord Protector of it."

Crossbow nodded before rushing out.

Galvatron put his helm in his hands as he felt a painful processor-ache starting to form. Oh, this was so starting out as a bad cycle!

The military head immediately contacted Jazz, Prowl, Ultra Magnus, and Ironhide. He told them that they were going to be meeting in Optimus's office and it was urgent. He then contacted Optimus, Megatron, and Elita-1 to inform them of the meeting as well.

Galvatron groaned. Now, he had the torment of informing Optimus of the fact that Shadowstrike had managed to escape custody and killing seven guards along with injuring twelve of them. The worst was telling him that Shadowstrike was out there somewhere, meaning that Ratchet and the younglings were probably in danger.

* * *

Drop a review and let me know what you thought!


	16. Chapter 16

Here's the next chapter!

**Sorry that updates are so slow! I'm caught up in Student Teaching and the extra work I have to do with that. It takes a lot of time, so I can't write that much during the week, and I'm pretty tired at the end of the day. It may come down to weekend updates only. At least for the time being. Thanks for understanding!**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 16

"WHAT?!"

Optimus, Prowl, Jazz, Ironhide, Ultra Magnus, Megatron, and Elita all shouted at the same time. Not one of them could believe what Galvatron had just told them.

"How the frag could something like that happen, Galvatron?! She was supposed to be under constant surveillance!" Elita snapped. Her hands were clenched tightly into fists by her side and her entire frame was tense, a clear indication of just how pissed off she was.

Galvatron raised his hands to show his surrender. "Don't shoot the messenger!"

Optimus pinched his nasal cavity, fighting his rising anger and worry.

:**Optimus, what is it? What's wrong?**: Ratchet asked.

Optimus hadn't done a good job of filtering his emotions through his newly reformed bond with his mate. He had let his emotions slip through. :**I'll explain it to you later, Ratchet. I promise.**:

:**All right.**:

Optimus was rather surprised that Ratchet had let the issue drop so easily, but the Prime was rather certain that Ratchet would start asking him about it the moment the medic saw him again. For now, Optimus turned his attention to his brother, who was sitting across the desk from him and looking rather uneasy. "How did this happen, Galvatron?"

Galvatron sighed. "In all honesty, I don't know. I just found out that this happened myself."

Megatron struggled to keep his own anger in check. "What do we know?"

"That Shadowstrike somehow managed to get out of her cell, she killed seven guards and injured twelve other, and managed to get off of the base without anybot seeing her." Galvatron stated.

Prowl was alarmed at this, mainly because he was worried about what Shadowstrike might end up trying to do to his carrier and his younger siblings. "We'll need to have all guards here at the palace on high alert. We'll also need to watch who we allow on the base." He considered it a moment. "It might also be a good idea to hold off on informing the public that Ratchet is alive."

"A good idea. As far as we know, Shadowstrike doesn't have a clue that Ratchet is alive. As far as she is concerned, Ratchet is gone. If she were to learn of Ratchet's survival, then she might attempt to come after him." Ultra Magnus agreed.

"Not to mention the fact that as crazy as she is, she might go after any of the younglings as well." Ironhide added.

"I already have Red Alert looking into what happened at the base. He's ensuring that all protocols were followed. We had Shadowstrike under constant video surveillance as well as under guard." Galvatron frowned. "I'm not sure if any of it will help, but we can see."

Prowl tapped the stylus in his hand against his knee. "We may need to consider the fact that Shadowstrike had inside help."

Everybot look at the tactician.

"Whadda ya mean, Prowler?" Jazz asked.

"That is a highly guarded base, Jazz. The only way Shadowstrike could have escaped without being seen is if somebot on the base was helping her." Prowl stated.

Galvatron frowned. "Or somebot that had clearance to get on the base."

"What are you thinking?" Megatron asked.

Galvatron looked up. "This is only speculation, but we all know how Redwing and Quickstrike are the main ones who oppose Optimus, which pretty well splits the Senate into two groups: Optimus's supporters and Redwing's supporters."

All of the bots in the room knew that Redwing was the major opponent to Optimus, which was why the supporters were more Redwing's than Quickstrike's.

"Your point?" Ironhide asked.

"Simply this. There are several senators who have clearance to the base, and quite a few of them are Redwing's supporters. Considering the strong alliance between Quickstrike and Redwing-" Galvatron started.

"It stands to reason that any of the senators who support Redwing might be willing to help Shadowstrike escape since all of them won't believe that Shadowstrike was the one who tried to kill Ratchet no matter how much proof we provide." Megatron finished.

"Possibly." Prowl agreed.

Optimus rubbed between his optics. The night before had been such a joyous one since his bond with Ratchet had been restored, but now, everything had gone to the Pit all because of Shadowstrike once again. "Grindor is going to have to be informed of this turn of events immediately. And we are also going to have to inform Quickstrike of his daughter's escape and of her actions." He glanced up and noticed the shocked and unsure glances from the other bots. "It's protocol. I don't have a choice, but to inform Quickstrike. That way, if he does try to shield her from us, we can prove that he was told beforehand that she was a fugitive and that any aid given to her would be considered treasonous acts."

They all understood that.

"Galvatron, add extra security to the palace. I don't want to take any chances." Optimus told him. He then glanced at Prowl. "Use your contacts in the enforcers, Prowl. Inform them that Shadowstrike is a fugitive and that she is to be considered dangerous. I'd prefer for her to be brought in alive, but if it can't be avoided, then so be it." The Prime turned his gaze to Megatron. "We need to be prepared for major political backlash, Megatron. We both know Redwing at least is going to be protesting like there's not tomorrow." Optimus then looked at Elita. "Keep an optic on your femmes, Elita. I don't know if any of them will end up trying to help Shadowstrike should she ask, but just in case, keep a close optic on them." Optimus turned his attention to Ultra Magnus. "Magnus, I want you to head up a team to search for Shadowstrike. Set up blocks all over Iacon. I don't want her managing to get out of Iacon." He then turned to Ironhide. "Ironhide, I'd like for you to head up security here for the time being." Finally, Optimus looked at Jazz. "Jazz, I need you to get in touch with your contact within the high class. We need to know if there are any whispers of where Shadowstrike might be or who might be helping her, if anybot is."

All of them nodded in understanding of what their orders were.

* * *

Shadowstrike paced around the room nervously. Her wings twitched as her need to do some flying started to overtake her. She was a Seeker and hadn't been able to fly since before her unjust incarceration. She needed to fly, slag it! She turned and headed for the door, intending to do some flying before she went out of her processors from it.

"Stop, Shadowstrike!"

Shadowstrike turned and glared at the red Seeker who had dared to stop her from leaving the hanger. "Why the slag should I, Redwing?! I haven't been able to fly for too long thanks to that Pit-spawned Jazz! I have to fly!"

Redwing glared at the stubborn femme. "You go flying, and you'll be seen, Shadowstrike. If that happens, then Starscream will most likely lead a team of Seekers after you. All of this would have been pointless then."

Shadowstrike snarled. "I've been imprisoned for too long, Redwing! **You **weren't the one who was cooped up for so long!"

Redwing's expression turned stern. "Do not forget that what you were charged with was harsh, and it was difficult to find a way to get you out. My contacts on the inside were able to give you the chance to escape." He shook his helm. "But it does little good now."

"Why the slag do you say that?!" Shadowstrike stormed over to him. "I'm free! There's nothing more to it!"

Redwing's expression did not change. "You killed seven guards and injured twelve more. The Iacon enforcers have been informed of your escape. You are to be considered dangerous and arrested on sight. If you resist, they will shoot to kill."

Shadowstrike's jaw dropped. "How dare they! I'm the daughter of Quickstrike!"

"Your class means nothing at the moment. We have to get you off of Cybertron and to a neutral planet before they manage to find you." Redwing stated before he turned and headed back into the main part of the building.

"I am not going anywhere until those responsible for all of my pain pay for it!" Shadowstrike barked determinedly.

Redwing turned and glared at her. "You **will **leave now, Shadowstrike, or I cannot help you. I aided you in escaping, but that is all I can do. If you leave the safety of my home, I won't help you."

Shadowstrike scoffed. "As If I really need your help, Redwing. From here, I can handle it all."

Redwing doubted that highly. He knew Shadowstrike, and she acted too much on her emotions. She would fail. "Just know that the moment you leave here, I won't help you. Don't come to me for help." He then turned and headed on into his home.

Shadowstrike sneered. She didn't need Redwing's help now. She had her own contacts who she could use to get revenge on all of the bots who had wronged her. Starting with Elita-1.

* * *

Ratchet looked and felt worried. If this insane femme was out on the loose, then that meant that they were all in danger. "She—escaped?"

Optimus reached out and wrapped his arms around his mate. "Don't worry, Ratchet. I'm not going to let her get near you or our creations. She won't hurt any of you. She'll have to go through me before she gets to any of you." At this moment, Optimus knew that Shadowstrike would have to make sure that his spark was extinguished before she would touch his mate or their creations.

Ratchet leaned into the embrace, glad that their creations weren't in the room to see him so upset. "After what she did before, I don't want to think about what she might try to do to our younglings now."

Optimus tightened his arms around his mate. "Don't worry about anything, Ratchet. I'm not going to let her hurt our creations. I promise you that." He moved them back so that they were sitting on the couch. "And I'm going to assign you guards."

Ratchet moved to look at him. "Do you honestly think that I need a bodyguard?"

Optimus smiled. "I had a feeling that your stance on a personal bodyguard hadn't changed, Ratchet, but I think it's necessary. Shadowstrike is dangerous and possibly deranged. I don't want to take any chances."

Ratchet sighed. "Who did you have in mind?"

"Sideswipe and Sunstreaker." Optimus answered.

Ratchet looked at him. "You realize that those two are already driving me crazy. If you stick me with those two, they might not live long."

Optimus chuckled. "Which is why Thundercracker and Skywarp will be on standby." He considered that. "I may also have Soundwave as a backup."

Ratchet rubbed his optics. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"Not unless you want me on you every second of the cycle." Optimus replied.

Ratchet glanced at him. "You'll still be like that even if I have a body guard on me, Optimus. You'll worry all the time and constantly be communicating with me with our bond."

Optimus shrugged. "I can't help that I worry, Ratchet."

Ratchet groaned. "Oh, all right. If it'll make you feel better, I'll let Sideswipe and Sunstreaker play bodyguards for me."

"Thank you." Optimus leaned forward and kissed Ratchet. "I'll feel better knowing that they are there. They are hard to deal with at times, but they are great warriors. Plus, they are protective of you, so they won't let anything happen to you or our creations."

Ratchet nodded. "Just tell me that they are not going to be in here with us at night."

"No. I won't do that. We should be fine in here at night." Optimus then realized something. "I'm also going to speak with Red Alert, the security director at the base, about upgrading our security systems."

"Is he trustworthy?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes. Red Alert has a paranoia glitch, which is why he's so good at security. He sees everything as suspicious and makes sure that there are no security lapses." Optimus sighed. "Normally, Red Alert drives me crazy with all of his suggestions, but in this case, I believe that I am willing to make an exception and truly consider all of Red Alert's suggestions."

Ratchet started to wonder if he really wanted to meet some of these bots, but knew that he needed to. "Just out of curiosity, those you are bringing in here? Did they know me before?"

"Oh yeah. Red Alert is actually Sideswipe and Sunstreaker's younger brother. So he's around a lot." Optimus replied. He smiled. "All of the ones that are coming are ones that I know would do anything to protect you. Jazz and Galvatron are the ones deciding who comes, so they are going to make sure it's no bot that would hurt you or our creations."

Ratchet nodded, deciding that he needed to trust his mate. He knew his mate was going to make sure that they were all safe. Of that, he was sure.

* * *

Jazz drove out into the middle of one of the metal forests that was on the outskirts on Iacon. It was a long way for him to drive, but it was the only way to make sure that his contact within the high class would not be discovered by any bot that might make trouble. The black and white mech transformed to his bipedal mode before looking around. His specially tuned sensors scanned the area and knew that he was mostly alone. "All right, 'Raj. You can come outta hidin' now. We're alone."

There was a shimmer before a white and blue mech appeared out of nowhere only a few kliks from where Jazz himself was standing. "Sorry for the secrecy, Jazz, but you know as well as I do what could happen if any of the higher ups were to find out I was meeting with you." The mech grimaced. "Needless to say, you are a much hated mech within the high class after Shadowstrike and Windstreak were arrested."

"I know that I probably am, 'Rag, and I don't give a frag." Jazz vented roughly. "'Raj, there's a lot goin' on, and I need ya ta do some snoopin' and listenin' for meh."

"Just tell me what the assignment is, and I'll get it done." Mirage assured him.

Jazz nodded before explaining to the noble mech that Ratchet along with the two sparklings that he had been carrying were very much alive. He also told Mirage of everything that he knew since it had been found out that Ratchet was alive.

Mirage stared at his commander for several moments as he attempted to compute everything that Jazz had just told him. "You mean he's been alive all this time!"

Jazz nodded. "With amnesia, but alive." The black and white mech shook helm. "That ain't tha point, though. Shadowstrike managed ta escape from tha prison. She killed seven guards and injured twelve others in her escape."

Mirage looked shocked.

"She's ta be considered dangerous and a threat to the public." Jazz sighed. "The bigger problem lies in tha fact that we're pretty sure that she had inside help."

"And you think somebot from the higher class aided her in her escape." Mirage surmised.

Jazz nodded. "A few senators have clearance for the base that are on Quickstrike and Redwing's side. If any of those bots helped Shadowstrike escape-"

"I know. They'd be accomplices in anything that Shadowstrike does from here on out, whether they were in on what happened or not." Mirage thought a moment. "Do you believe that one of these senators might be hiding her?"

"Iacon enforcers have been alerted to the situation. Blocks have been set up all around the city own. Doubt she could have gotten out of the city before those were set up." Jazz sated.

Mirage nodded, understanding what it was that he was to do. "I understand, Jazz. I'll keep my optics and audio receptors open. I know a few who might can give me some information on whether this happened or not." Mirage frowned. "Although this will be hard to discover. If any of the senators aided her, then they are going to do everything in their power to make sure that no bot knows they did so."

Jazz nodded. "Figured as much. Just do what ya can, 'Raj. Prime's worried that Shadowstrike might come after Ratch or tha younglings if she finds out that they're alive."

"Something of that nature would have been heard about at all levels of the upper class. Primus knows all most of the families can talk about is getting their creation bonded to Prime." Mirage shook his helm. "This will cause quite an uproar."

"Not like the one that Prime'll cause if he learns that it was one of the senators that aided Shadowstrike in her escape. He ain't happy, and neither are Megatron or Galvatron." Jazz sated.

Mirage nodded in understanding. "I'll keep this information to myself."

"Thanks, 'Raj. Knew I could count on ya." Jazz told him.

"Just call me your little spy." The blue and white mech shimmered and disappeared.

Jazz knew that he could count on Mirage to make sure that the higher class didn't find out that Ratchet was alive. And if anybot would be able to find out if Shadowstrike had help, it would be Mirage. The black and white mech transformed back into his alternate mode before he headed back to the inner parts of Iacon.

* * *

Grindor stared at the Prime in shock. "You have got to be kidding me! How in the seven levels of the Pit did she manage to escape such a highly guarded and secure base?!" He couldn't believe that Shadowstrike had managed to pull an escape like that.

Optimus sighed. "We have to assume that she had help on the inside." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "We are concerned that one of Quickstrike's supporters who have clearance to the base may have aided her in some way."  
Grindor frowned. "I honestly wouldn't have thought that any of them would take such a risk. After all, publically speaking against Shadowstrike's arrest is one thing. Aiding her in breaking out of prison, killing guards, and injuring them is an entirely different matter. I have known some of them to participate in illegal acts, but nothing on this level. Most illegal activities deal with the black market, bribes, and the like." Grindor sighed. "Though there may be those ambitious and arrogant enough to attempt such."

"We need to hold off on allowing the public and the Senate to know that Ratchet is alive. That would only endanger Ratchet's life and possibly the younglings as well." Galvatron stated.

Grindor nodded in agreement. "I understand. Shadowstrike was willing to try to kill Consort Ratchet before, and I have no doubt that she will attempt to do so again."

"We're adding additional security to the base as we speak. Red Alert is going to install additional security measures as well." Optimus stated.

Grindor looked rather stunned. "Last account I had, you opposed any additional measures Red Alert thought necessary."

"Originally, yes. However, since I have to keep my family safe, I am willing to suffer through these security measures." Optimus answered.

Grindor nodded. "I'll have my informants keep a close optic on all of the senators, particular those aligned with Quickstrike and Redwing, including those two."

Optimus looked rather shocked.

"Informants?" Megatron asked.

Grindor smirked. "You didn't think you were the only ones keeping up with what the senators did when they were not here in Iacon, did you? I stay on top of them because I keep a check on what they are up to."

"Well, it looks like there are several bots keeping on optic on all of the senators then." Galvatron mused.

"And that's a bad thing?" Grindor asked.

"Not at all." Galvatron replied.

Optimus rubbed his forehelm. "In any case, we need to ensure that the Senate does not find out about this until we find Shadowstrike. I do not want any of them managing to inform Shadowstrike of this."

"I understand. I can assure you that no bot will learn this from me." Grindor assured him.

Optimus was glad that he could trust Grindor with such details. Unlike the last head of the Senate, who always did things with ulterior motives and tried to undermine Optimus at times.

* * *

"YOU'RE ALIVE?!" Fixit couldn't believe that he was staring at his former mentor, who he had believed was dead for so long.

Ratchet winced at the audio piercing sound from the medic across from him. He had simply been walking around the palace with his younglings, Bluestreak, and his newly appointed bodyguards, AKA Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They had come across the infirmary by accident, and Ratchet most certainly had not expected to come across the medic, who he couldn't remember.

"I don't believe this! How are you alive?!" Fixit grinned widely at Ratchet. "What do I care? I'm so glad to see you, Ratchet!"

Ratchet was more than a bit confused.

"Maybe we should go into your office and talk, Fixit." Bluestreak suggested. He figured that that would be better than talking out in the hall like this.

"Of course! This way." Fixit turned and headed into the medbay.

Ratchet followed the other mech. He glanced around and immediately noticed that the medbay was spotless, everything was arranged in an acceptable manner, and it looked the way he had arranged things. He was already impressed with this mech.

The group made their way into Fixit's office.

"Go on and sit down, Ratchet." Fixit gestured to the chair. He chuckled. "This is a bit odd for me. This was your office."

Ratchet smiled at the mech. "Well, you certainly do keep the medbay in order."

Fixit laughed. "Should. You were my mentor, and I learned fast that you liked things in a certain order and done in a certain way. It just stuck when I took over."

"Uh, Fixit, I think that there's some things that you should know." Bluestreak ventured.

Springer glanced up at carrier before reaching up and tugging on Ratchet's hand.

Ratchet glanced down. "Yes, Springer?"

"May we please go play with Jetfire and Jetstorm, Carrier?" Springer asked.

Fixit started at hearing Springer call Ratchet his carrier. What was that about?

"I suppose so." Ratchet agreed.

"I'll take them!" Sideswipe and Sunstreaker stated at the same time. Neither really wanted to listen to the two medics go on about medical stuff.

Ratchet raised an optic ridge. "I think one of you can handle three younglings."

Bluestreak sighed. "Sunny, why don't you take them to Wheeljack and Skyfire? We'll be here when you get back."

Sunstreaker nodded and quickly left with the three younglings in tow, glad to get out of there..

"What was that about?" Ratchet murmured.

"Sunny hates listening to technical talk in any profession." Bluestreak smiled. "And medical terminology is something he hates more than anything." The grey Praxian glanced at Sideswipe. "'Sides is that way, too."

Sideswipe shrugged. "Don't like listening to what we don't understand."

Fixit smiled. "I understand that. Like I'm sure you do, Ratchet."

Ratchet realized that Fixit didn't know that he had amnesia or any of the rest, so he figured that he needed to tell Fixit all of that.

* * *

Shadowstrike waited in the old, abandoned warehouse that had belonged to her sire for so long. She knew that no bot would find her there. The femme Seeker was rather annoyed that her contact was so late in getting there. She had very little patience.

"Got yourself into a bit of trouble, did ya, 'Strike?" a snide voice sneered.

Shadowstrike turned and glared at the mech in question. "Shut up, Black Storm!"

The dark red and black mech walked forward so that he was no longer in the shadows. "Well, you were in prison, you broke out, you killed and injured guards, and now you are on the most wanted list. I'd say you're in trouble."

"Black Storm, that is nothing. Now can you do what I asked you or not?!" Shadowstrike snapped.

Black Storm snorted. "Of course I can. I've been an assassin for longer than you've been alive. I can get the job done." He glanced at the femme "For the right price."

Shadowstrike tossed a credit pad to him. "You get half now and half when the job's done."

"Sure thing. The hardest part will be getting into the Prime's palace, but once in, you can count on Elita-1 being as good as offlined." Black Storm told her.

Shadowstrike smirked. "Excellent."

Black Storm left as quietly as he had come.

Shadowstrike felt rather satisfied. Once Elita-1 was out of the way, she could continue with getting her revenge on those who had taken everything she ever deserved from her. She'd make the Prime suffer through losing everything before she ended him as well.

* * *

Drop a review and let me know what you thought!


	17. Chapter 17

Here's the next chapter!

**I know its been a while since I updated this one. Just can't find much time for writing. Student teaching is going well, but it's time consuming. Weekends are when I write the most.**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 17

Fixit was, more or less, shocked. Sure, as a medic, he understood the concept of amnesia, but to know that his own mentor had amnesia and couldn't remember anything was more than a little troubling. "So, you don't have a clue who any of us are?"

"I'm afraid not, Fixit. My memories are gone, but I am slowly getting to know everybot again. It's just going to take some time." Ratchet said.

"I fear I must apologize. You must have thought that I was some kind of crazy mech the way I started to go on and on." Fixit grinned sheepishly. "I guess I should have known something was up when you didn't beam me with a wrench."

"He still does that." Sideswipe muttered.

"Then you shouldn't do things to incite me, Sideswipe. The majority of the pain that I inflict on you comes from the fact that you do things to deserve it." Ratchet retorted.

"Always has." Fixit stated. He looked back over at Ratchet. "So, are you going to take the infirmary back over, Ratchet?"

Ratchet looked more than a little bit surprised. "I was in command of the infirmary?"

"Of course. Just because you are the Prime's mate doesn't mean that you gave up your medical career. You took over the infirmary in the palace in addition to volunteering at the local clinics to help." Fixit replied.

Ratchet decided that that did sound like something he would do. "Hmm. I can believe that." The medic shook his helm. "But, no, I won't be taking over any time in the near future. I'm still acclimating myself to living here now on top of the fact that I am trying to get to know bots I cannot remember. And I would prefer to discuss such a topic with Optimus. Besides, any changes like that should be after this ordeal with Shadowstrike it taken care of."

Fixit turned sober at that. "I agree. I was there and saw the aftermath. It wasn't a pleasant sight." He shook his helm. "I saw less carnage in some battle aftermaths during the Quintesson war."

Ratchet's spark went out to the families of those mechs whose sparks had extinguished. He prayed Primus would help them through this difficult time. He was unsure of what could have possessed Shadowstrike to do something like this. "Fixit, all soldiers have to go through psychiatric evaluations before being accepted into the military, right?"

Fixit nodded.

"What about afterwards?" Ratchet was unsure of that.

"Every three orn, they are required to undergo them unless they are sent on dangerous missions. Then they must undergo one upon their return and before being restored to duty. Why?" Fixit asked.

"Shadowstrike seems to be unbalanced. I wondered if you could access her medical records." Ratchet stated.

"Wouldn't do any good. The psychiatrist she went to was a friend of her sire's." Fixit stated.

"Meaning he was going to pass her on her evaluation regardless of what the tests showed, if he performed any." Bluestreak stated.

Fixit nodded.

Ratchet was slowly getting an idea. He would have to talk to Optimus about it first, but he might be able to help stop Shadowstrike before she managed to harm another bot.

* * *

Optimus sat across from Quickstrike and Redwing, who had insisted upon joining his ally in his visit to the Prime, as they finished watching the vid of Shadowstrike's escape from the prison. He could see the shock on Quickstrike's faceplates as he watched Shadowstrike kill and injure the guards as she escaped. He could also see the disdain on Redwing's faceplates. The Prime knew that Redwing would be the pain.

"Prime, I don't know what to say. I never thought she was capable of such." Quickstrike knew his daughter could kill Quintessons, but her own people? And this carelessly and sparklessly?

Redwing snorted. "What did you expect? She was unjustly imprisoned."

Megatron didn't bother to restrain his growl. "Do not forget that the charges were severe, Redwing. Treason. And she was not unjustly imprisoned."

Redwing glared. "You have no proof she did anything out of line on that mission!"

"And you have no proof she didn't." Megatron countered.

Redwing froze at that.

"Regardless, Iacon enforcers as well as surrounding provinces enforcers have been informed that she is an escaped prisoner, and that she is to be considered dangerous. Considering what she has already done, we have to consider her dangerous." Optimus stated.

"What will they do if they find her?" Quickstrike knew his daughter had done horrible things, but the sire in him didn't want to lose her.

"Our wish is for her to be brought in alive, Senator. However, should she resist or attempt harm to others, they have orders to kill." Optimus stated.

"That's preposterous!" Redwing roared.

Optimus narrowed his optics. "You have your **proof** that she murdered seven guards and injured twelve others. She must be considered a danger to others."

Redwing looked shocked that the Prime had spoken to him like that. And it was difficult for him to refute the statement that there was proof Shadowstrike had killed and injured all of the guards. Besides, Redwing couldn't risk rousing suspicion. His helm would also be on the line if anybot found out that he was involved in Ratchet's assassination and in Shadowstrike's escape.

Quickstrike was struggling to comprehend the fact that his daughter had committed these atrocities. He had believed her innocent in what had happened to Consort Ratchet, but he had no way to deny that Shadowstrike had taken these lives. There was little that he could do at the moment. "Thank you for informing me of this Prime. Should you manage to bring Shadowstrike in, please inform me."

"We will." Optimus assured him, standing up.

Quickstrike and Redwing did the same before the two made their way out of the Prime's office. Galvatron was escorting them off of the base.

Considering the fact that Optimus did not want anybot from the Senate, particularly Redwing and Quickstrike, knowing that Ratchet was alive, he had decided to meet with them at his office on the base of Iacon. It was the best way to keep his family safe.

"Stupid glitch. Thinks he's more important than he really is." Megatron muttered, resisting the urge to hit something.

Optimus turned to look at his brother. "What are you going on about, Megatron? Quickstrike reacted better than I thought he would."

Megatron shook his helm. "Not Quickstrike. Redwing. Mech's always believed he was more important than he really is." The High Lord Protector shook his helm. "He probably sees nothing wrong with what Shadowstrike has done. I'd love for him to be involved in her escape somehow, just so that he could finally be put in his place."

Optimus reached out and placed a hand on Megatron's shoulder. "Calm down, Megatronus. Redwing is ambitious and egotistical, but I am not certain that he would go so far outside of the law. He would be ruining his reputation, his career, and his life. He enjoys his lifestyle far too much to risk that loss."

Megatron glanced at his brother. "And you always try to see the good in the sparks of others, Orion. I do not believe that such ever existed in that mech. You said it yourself. He is ambitious and egotistical. Meaning that he would go to any lengths to increase his standing in society. He was also the one pushing Shadowstrike on you after we thought Ratchet had died. It would have increased his own political power, and we both know it."

Optimus sighed. "Perhaps he is all those things, but Redwing knows that any involvement with Shadowstrike's escape would mean that he would also be implicated in the deaths the guards, not to mention he would be charged with treason." The Prime shook his helm. "Regardless, we have other, more pressing manners to consider other than Redwing's pompousness."

Megatron nodded in agreement. "Agreed. Shadowstrike is our main priority at the moment. I'll worry about Redwing later on."

Optimus nodded his helm.

A moment later, Galvatron walked in. "They're off the base now." He shook his helm. "Redwing was clearly pissed off at knowing that Shadowstrike might be killed if she resists."

Optimus shook his helm. "I honestly don't care what he thinks at the moment, Galvatron. We have more important things to be concerned about other than whatever Redwing thinks."

Galvatron knew that he was right.

* * *

:_Oh, for the love of Primus! My paintjob has been decimated! I'm dirty, and my paintjob needs to be touched up! Is it took much to ask for my paintjob to stay pristine?!_: Knock Out had been going on and on about his paintjob for the last half of the trip to Iacon.

And they still had three joor before they would reach Iacon.

Breakdown was used to the fact that his lover was completely obsessed with his paintjob. On a normal basis, Breakdown could deal with Knock Out's constant rambling with ease, but he was also tired from the trip and was finding it more difficult to bear it.

Not that Breakdown had any intention of saying that to his lover. He knew that if he complained about Knock Out's complaining, he'd be forced to go without interfacing for a while. And that was something that the blue mech sure didn't want. :_Don't worry, KO. We'll be in Iacon before long. I'm sure that we'll be able to find some paint that's your color and then we can get your paintjob perfect again._:

:_We had better. I can't be seen like this for too long. I'll be laughed at!_: Knock Out exclaimed.

Breakdown chose not to point out that there were few who would laugh at him for a little dust on his frame and few scratches to his paintjob. It would fall on deaf audios, and he'd probably get a good scolding for even saying that.

At this point, though, all Breakdown cared about was getting to Iacon and seeing his little brothers and sister again. He had missed not being able to see them every cycle, and he definitely wanted to be there for Springer's creation day celebration. Just like he planned for them to come back for Hot Rod and Lightshow's creation day celebration.

* * *

"Is there any particular reason that you want this—Rung—to come here, Ratchet?" Optimus asked. He had been more than a little surprised to find that his mate had wanted a psychiatrist from Creon to come to Iacon.

"Yes, actually." Ratchet was sitting on the couch in their quarters with his legs crossed. "Optimus, there is a reason that I want Rung to come here. He's a talented psychologist, and I think that his skills could be useful to us here."

Optimus raised an optic ridge as he sat down by his mate. "Why? No offense, but with Shadowstrike out there, what we need are soldiers."

"Not necessarily." Ratchet smiled. "From what little I know, any psych evaluations Shadowstrike would have undergone would be useless for the simple fact that the psychiatrist who did hers was a friend of her sire's. Rung is a complete professional. He would take what little we could tell him, and he might be able to help us understand how Shadowstrike is thinking at the moment. On top of that, he may be able to help us stay one step ahead of Shadowstrike."

Optimus hadn't even considered that fact. He supposed that a psychiatrist would be able to help them in this. "Do you think he would be objective?"

"Of course. Rung is completely professional. He'll analyze everything and give us his honest opinion of her." Ratchet replied.

Optimus supposed that it couldn't hurt. And they could most definitely use the help of an impartial mech on this. "I'll have to discuss this with Grindor and see what he thinks."

Ratchet nodded. "The truth is that we just don't know much about Shadowstrike's mental state."

"She's insane. What more do we need to know?" Optimus muttered.

Ratchet glared at him. "Optimus!"

Optimus jumped at that tone as it was one the normally meant he needed to duck before a wrench collided with his helm. Which was why he instantly ducked as well.

Ratchet looked down at him in shock. "What in the name of Primus are you doing down there, Optimus?"

Optimus glanced up sheepishly. "Well, um, whenever you used that tone before , it usually meant that I needed to duck, or I was getting a wrench to the helm."

Ratchet filed that away for later contemplation. "Regardless, we need an impartial party to do this. He may be able to help us anticipate what Shadowstrike may do."

Optimus nodded his helm. "I suppose so." He could see the wisdom in that. Staying one step ahead of Shadowstrike might aide them in capturing her before she could bring harm to anybot that might cross her path.

* * *

Breakdown was glad when they entered Iacon for two reasons. One, it meant that he was that much closer to seeing his siblings again. Two, it meant Knock Out could finally have that wash and repainting that he had been moaning about for the last three joor.

"Now there are some sharp looking bots around here." Knock Out was busy admiring the finish on some of the bots that they were passing as they drove down the road.

Any other bot might have been worried that Knock Out was admiring other bots, but Breakdown knew that it was clearly for their detail and finish. Nothing more.

Breakdown sighed. "KO, can we please just get to the palace so that we can see our family first? You can get to a wash rack and get repainted."  
"Let's go!" Knock Out zoomed past Breakdown.

"Hey! Wait up, KO!" Breakdown chased after his lover. He had forgotten just how fast his lover was. It had been a while since he had raced Knock Out. It was a refresher to just how much speed Knock Out's lithe frame possessed.

The two mechs drove at a speed just barely allowable by the speed limit as they made their way toward the palace of the Prime.

"Wow! It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be." Knock Out remarked as the two slowed down and transformed to their bipedal mode.

"Nice architecture. Well built, too. I'd like to meet the bots responsible for building this structure." Breakdown was impressed.

"Oh, please, Breakdown. You know as well as I do that those who built the palace of the Prime has long since become one with the AllSpark." Knock Out told him.

"Can't blame a bot for dreaming." Breakdown replied.

Knock Out looked back at the palace. "Come on. Let's get going." He walked toward the gates with Breakdown behind him.

"Stop there!" the guard at the gate, a large red mech, ordered.

Knock Out bit back a sarcastic retort.  
"Uh, we were expected." Breakdown stated.

The mech looked at them. "Designations."

"Breakdown and Knock Out." Breakdown answered.

The mech scanned a list and saw the designations before motioning them in. He walked the two inside the gates before the fates were closed. "Sorry, but you're going to have to wait to be cleared. We've had a few issues to come up and have tightened security. Just ensuring that Prime and his family are safe."

"Of course. " Knock Out muttered.

Breakdown nudged Knock Out. "We understand, uh-" The large mech realized that he didn't know the mech's designation.

"Call me Inferno. Shouldn't be too long." Inferno knew that was true considering the fact that his bondmate, Red Alert, would have already informed Optimus of the two new arrivals, who they were, what they looked like, where they were, and that Inferno was with them.

* * *

As paranoid as Red Alert was, Optimus had to admit that he was efficient at security detail, which was what the mech was doing at the palace anyway. Optimus hated dealing with Red Alert and his paranoia, but he knew that where the safety of his mate and creations was concerned, he'd deal with the mech.

Now, Optimus found himself outside of Arcee and Bulkhead's room. He knocked on the door, needing Bulkhead to vouch for them.

The door opened, and Arcee looked a bit surprised. "Prime, what can I do for you?"

"Optimus, Arcee." Optimus reminded her.

"Right. Optimus." Arcee replied.

"Breakdown and Knock Out are here. I need Bulkhead to vouch for them." Optimus stated.

"Bulk's not here right now." Arcee replied. She smiled. "Bulkhead's very interested in the architecture of the palace, so the Constructicons were taking him on a tour."

"I see." Optimus hadn't wanted to ask Ratchet to do this since his mate was with his creators at the moment, but figured there wasn't a choice.

"I could vouch for them." Arcee offered.

Optimus looked at her, a bit surprised.

"I've known Breakdown and Knock Out as long as I have known Bulk." Arcee explained.

Optimus nodded his helm. "Very well, Arcee." He turned and headed down the hall, and Arcee followed once she had locked the door.

Arcee knew that Knock Out was there. She could hear him complaining about his paintjob already.

"I am going to need too touch up my paint! It's completely ruined. What will other bots think if they see me like this?" Knock Out moaned.

"But you look fine." Inferno stated.

"I do not look fine! I'm a mess!" Knock Out retorted.

Arcee sighed. "That's Knock Out. One small chip of paint, and it's like the end of Cybertron to him."

Optimus chuckled. "Wait until you get to know Sunstreaker better. It's about the same with him, though he has a fit when he just gets some dust on him."

Arcee moaned. "Not two of them!"

Breakdown, hearing Arcee's voice, turned and smiled. "Hey, 'Cee. Good ta see ya again."

Arcee smiled. "Good to see you, too, Breakdown."

Optimus could believe that Bulkhead and Breakdown were related. Both had rather large builds. He had heard a bit about Breakdown from Bulkhead and Ratchet. And, of course, his creations.

Breakdown then noticed that Optimus was there, too. "Oh, uh, sorry about that, Prime."

Optimus waved him off. "Don't worry about it." He noticed Arcee nod her helm almost imperceptibly. An indication that they were both who they said they were. "It's all right, Inferno. Thank you."

"Sure thing, Prime." Inferno then turned to head back to his post before he got an angry rant from his mate through their bond for not getting back there.

"Come on, guys." Arcee turned and followed Optimus back in.

Breakdown and Knock Out followed.

"I need a wash rack. And then I need to find my color paint." Knock Out muttered.

Breakdown groaned. "Come on, KO. Don't you want to see Springer, Hot Rod, and Lightshow."

"Not like this. What would they think?" Knock Out retorted.

Arcee rolled her optics. "Oh, come on, Knock Out! We all know that those three don't care about paintjobs period. They would have kept scratched up paintjobs if you hadn't been around."

"Excuse me for liking to look my best." Knock Out snapped at her.

Optimus was a bit amused at this. He could easily see Sunstreaker's personality in Knock Out. It would be interesting to see just how Knock Out and Sunstreaker got along.

* * *

"Are you sure that you don't want to use any of my ideas, Ratchet? You're welcome to them." Wheeljack told his brother.

Ratchet looked over at his brother, a bit irritated. "No, Wheeljack. I don't. I appreciate the help, but I just don't want Springer having this big, fancy party for his creation day. They aren't used to that, and they honestly don't need it. Give him energon cake and presents, and he'll be fine."

"Never actually thought about going simple." Wheeljack remarked.

"Because we have lived here too long. We give them these big, fancy parties, 'Jack, when all a couple of younglings need is what Ratchet plans to give Springer." Skyfire stated.

Ratchet smiled. He didn't think badly of his brother for wanting to give Jetfire and Jetstorm big parties, but the medic didn't want to spoil his younglings, either. Besides, Springer wouldn't want a big party, and he really wouldn't need it, either.

"Speaking of which, where are those three of yours, Ratchet?" Skyfire asked.

"Breakdown and Knock Out got here not too long ago. Bulkhead took Hot Rod and Springer to see them since they wouldn't have stopped asking until they were able to see them. And Lightshow wanted to spend some time with Elita, and I didn't have the spark to tell her no." Ratchet answered.

Wheeljack smiled. "Well, it's probably good for Lightshow to have an adult femme around."

"From the way things look, she's going to have that in our carrier." Ratchet couldn't name a cycle since he first saw his carrier again that he didn't see her. Starlight seemed to constantly be around.  
"Well, ya can't blame her, Ratch. Carrier thought you were dead." Wheeljack told him.

"I know that, 'Jack, and I don't hold it against her." Ratchet assured his twin.

"Good." Wheeljack stated.

"One question. If your creations aren't having their creation day for another three groon, why are you planning it now?" Ratchet asked.

"Uh, well, I had a lot of negative things on my processor at tha time and needed somethin' ta get my processors off it. So thought I'd go ahead and start plannin' it." Wheeljack grinned. "Never thought somethin' as good as getting' ya four back would happen."

Ratchet had a sneaking suspicion that the negative thoughts were the investigation into his "death", but decided not to say anything. After all, there was no reason to bring up those bad memories for his brother.

* * *

"Breakdown!" Springer lunged forward at the dark blue mech and hugged Bread down tightly. "I'm so glad to see you." Springer pulled back, knowing his brother wouldn't let him fall. "Guess what?! We've gotten to meet a lot of our family! We've got grand-creators, older siblings, cousins!"

"And we met our sire, too!" Hot Rod piped in, jumping up at Breakdown as well.

Breakdown was easily able to juggle holding the two mechlings. He had so much practice doing it that it wasn't hard to hold them. "I'm glad for you. I know you've liked meeting them."

"Yeah!" The two mechlings were obviously happy to have met members of their family.

Bulkhead smiled. "I figured they would want to see you."  
"I noticed." Breakdown replied.

"You'll be here for my creation day!" Springer suddenly exclaimed, having not thought of it before.

Breakdown chuckled. "Of course I am. There was no way that I was going to miss it." He smiled. "I've never missed one of your creation days before, Springer, and I'm not starting now."

"What about me and 'Show?" Hot Rod asked.

Breakdown chuckled. "I was there the cycle you were born, Hot Rod. I haven't missed one of your creation days, and I'm not planning to miss any of them."

Hot Rod smiled at that. "Great!"

Breakdown chuckled. "No way KO and I would miss your creation day."

Hot Rod cocked his helm to the side. "Where is Knock Out?"

Breakdown chuckled. "KO was a little dusty, so he wanted to visit the wash racks."

"Carrier calls Knock Out a prima donna." Springer said.

"I am not a prima donna!" Knock Out walked out of the wash racks, the dirt washed away from his frame. "I just like looking my best."

Breakdown knew that anything less than perfection set his lover off. "Yeah. I know."

"Now I need to find some paint." Knock Out stated.

"I'm sure that we'll be able to find your color, Knock Out." Bulkhead stated. And if they couldn't, Bulkhead was rather certain that Sunstreaker would know where they could get some paint for Knock Out.

* * *

Lightshow was happily following her aunt around the property. She loved being able to spend time with Elita. It was nice to have another femme around. "Where are we going now, Aunt Elita?"

Elita smiled, glad to be able to spend some time alone with her niece. "Well, I thought that we would go check up on the Dinobots." She had been rather surprised that the Dinobots hadn't come to the palace that much since finding out that Ratchet was alive.

"Great!" Lightshow skipped closer to her aunt. "I can't wait to see them again!"

Elita smiled at that. She knew that the Dinobots were protective of all sparklings and younglings, but they were even more protective of Jetfire and Jetstorm. It wasn't surprising since the two considered Wheeljack their sire, and Elita suspected that the five would be as protective of Lightshow, Springer, and Hot Rod.

The two made their way across the ground of the palace.

Elita had had some business to take care of within the palace, and Lightshow had wanted to go. Since it wasn't critical or something Elita didn't want her to know about, the femme commander hadn't seen the harm since Ratchet had said it was okay.

"Aunt Elita, how long have you known Carrier?" Lightshow asked.

Elita chuckled. "Well, Ratchet is my older brother, so I've known him all my life, Lightshow."

"Did you miss him while he was gone?" Lightshow asked.

"Very much so." Elita smiled. "Ratchet and I were very close, so it was hard with him gone. But I'm glad to have him back." She reached down and touched Lightshow's wing. "And I'm glad that you three are here as well."

Lightshow smiled brightly. "I'm glad, too. Our family is so much bigger than it was before. I mean, I love Carrier and my brothers and Knock Out, but we have a lot more family now. And here are others our age that we can play with! You, Wheeljack, everybot! It's great!"

Elita was glad that she had spent so much time around Bluestreak. It had prepared her for the rambling fit that was starting.

A shadow nearby was watching Elita and Lightshow. It brought out an energon sword. Oh, well. Looked like he was getting two for the price of one.

Elita was stunned when a sudden tackling sent her crashing to the ground. She crashed hard and released a cry of pain as a searing pain hit her side.

"Time for you to go." The mech raised the blade to kill her.

Elita grabbed it before slamming her helm forward, hitting the mech. She then twisted and threw him off before jumping to the side. Her hand went to her side, which was leaking energon.

Lightshow was frozen in fear. She had never seen anything like this before and was scared. Of the situation, for herself, and for her aunt. What did she do?

"Who are you?! What do you want?!" Elita demanded, drawing out a pair of energon Sais.

The black and red mech smirked. "Oh, it doesn't matter. I'm here to get rid of the Prime's consort."

Elita felt fear go through her. Ratchet! This was mech was after Ratchet!

"And you're in the way." The black and red mech rushed at her, but Elita blocked the sword and knocked him back. She ducked only to have a knee joint slam into her chin and force her to stumble backwards.

"Some fighting for the femme commander." It was meant to be condescending.

Elita growled as she charged forward at the mech, swiping out with her Sais. The mech smirked before sweeping his leg out and taking Elita's feet out from under her. He then punched her right in the abdominal plating before bring his sword down into her shoulder

"No camera to let them know you are here. I know. I looked." The mech let her fall. "And I'll finish you in a moment." He turned and headed for the terrified Lightshow.

Elita gasped in shock and horror. "No! Leave her alone!"

"Sorry. Can't have any witnesses." The black and red mech reached Lightshow. "Besides, I find a certain thrill knowing I'll be the last face she ever sees."

The little femme was trembling from fear, unsure of what to do.

"Lightshow! Run!" Elita screamed.

The mech smirked. This would be fun. He raised his sword and brought it down at the little femme.

A loud clank resonated throughout the area as the blade of the black and red mech's sword collided with the blade of another bot's.

To say that Galvatron was angry was an understatement. His lover was injured, his niece had nearly been killed, and this mech was the cause of it. He forced the mech's sword up before slamming his foot so hard into the mech that he was thrown backwards into the ground. "You have some nerve coming here and causing trouble." Galvatron's red optics flashed in his anger. "I can assure that this will be the last thing that you ever do."

The red and black mech smirked. "Oh, I'll do what I came here to do. The Prime's consort has had it, and I'll go through you if I have to."

Galvatron tensed at knowing that this mech was after Ratchet. There wasn't a chance in the Pit that he was letting that happen.

Lightshow, terrified, stumbled backwards and ended up falling down. She didn't understand what was going on. All she knew was that this mech had hurt Elita, had tried to hurt her, and Galvatron had stopped. She wanted her carrier!

A loud sound caught the attention of all bots.

Galvatron looked and froze.

Grimlock stepped forward, his large foot causing the ground to shake. "What going on here? Why you fight in Dinobots territory?"

The Dinobots felt that their territory was being invaded, and that wasn't a good thing. The only thing worse than a pissed of Dinobots was a pissed off Ratchet. And Galvatron was going to be dealing with both in one cycle. Oh, how could this get any worse?

* * *

Drop a review and let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	18. Chapter 18

Here's the next chapter!

**Sorry for the long wait. Writers block and student teaching make it hard for me to find any time to get any of these chapters done. Enjoy this one! I make no promises on when another update will be.**

Units of time as I use them:

Astrosecond= .273 seconds

Klik= 1 minute

Joor= 3 hours

Cycle= 1 day

Breem= 1 week

Groon= 1 month

Stellar cycle= year

Meta cycle= 5 years

Deca cycle= 10 years

Orn= century

Vorn= 5 centuries

:underline:- spark twins talking

:**bold**:- bonded mechs talking

:_italics_:- comm link

Don't own Transformers!

* * *

Chapter 18

Grimlock released a growl as he looked from Galvatron to the black and red mech. "Why you fight in our territory?"

The black and red mech just looked at them. "What in the Pit are they? Rejects?"

All five Dinobots growled at that statement.

Galvatron froze. Oh, what did this mech think he was doing?! Had he never heard of the Dinobots?! That was going to send Grimlock into a rage!

Grimlock transformed into his bipedal mode and stood towering over the black and red mech. "What give you right to speak to us Dinobots like that? This our territory. Prime say so. You can't be here unless we Dinobots say it okay."

"Since when do I care what a bunch of stupid bots say?" the red and black mech snapped.

Galvatron decided to take the safe route. He turned and easily scooped Lightshow up into his arms before rushing over to Elita and getting her out of the way as well.

Grimlock released a loud roar before he charged at the mech with sword in hand. The black and red mech blocked it, but hadn't anticipated just how strong Grimlock was as the forced of it threw him off his pedes. Slag charged forward at him and rammed his horns into the mech's chest, throwing him backwards. Right into Sludge. Sludge hit the mech with his tail and sent the mech flying upward with a cry. Swoop flew up and grabbed the mech's shoulders, bringing him up high.

"Let go of me you stupid glitch!" the mech snarled.

"Me not stupid. You stupid for causing trouble in Dinobots' territory." Swoop stated.

"Swoop, drop him." Grimlock ordered.

Swoop did as ordered and dropped the mech. The black and red mech landed so hard that he ended up disoriented.

Galvatron watched this. "Well, I don't think he'll be causing us that much trouble right now."

Elita just groaned, both at what her lover had just said as well as at the pain she was in.

Lightshow whimpered in fear as she tightened her arms around her uncle's neck.

As much as Galvatron wanted to help Elita, he knew that he had to get Lightshow calm. "Shh. Its okay, Lightshow. You're fine."

Lightshow simply tightened her arms around her uncle as a whimper escaped her. "I want Carrier."

"You'll see him soon enough." Galvatron assured her. He just prayed that Ratchet didn't kill them all for letting Lightshow be put in so much danger. He glanced back and saw that the Dinobots were still giving the mech a thrashing.  
"You'd better stop them. Optimus is going to want the mech questioned." Elita murmured, holding her hand to her injured side as she tried to stem the flow of energon.

"I am not stopping the Dinobots, Elita." Galvatron knew what the five might do to him if he interfered, and there was no way that he was putting himself in that kind of danger.

* * *

Ratchet stalked through the halls of the palace, thoroughly pissed off. He didn't care who he came across as he walked. He just knew that he had felt his daughter's utter terror through his bond with her, and he knew where she was. There wasn't a force in the universe that was going to stop him from getting to his daughter.

Optimus followed his mate, albeit a little warily. He himself was worried about his daughter and had been more than a little upset when Galvatron told him that there had been an attack on Elita in front of Lightshow. He had been relieved to hear that Lightshow had not been harmed, but it was still unsettling to know that a bot who had attacked and tried to kill Elita had been that close to Lightshow.

Ratchet entered the medbay without any warning and immediately started scanning the room. His optics immediately fell onto Galvatron, who was still holding a trembling Lightshow. He was relieved to see her unharmed.

Lightshow could feel it when her carrier was so close. She instantly looked up at her carrier. She then launched herself over Galvatron's shoulder and at her carrier. "Carrier!"

Ratchet easily caught Lightshow. "It's all right, Lightshow. I'm here."

Lightshow wrapped her arms around her carrier's neck as she buried her face against his neck cables. Her small frame shook as she sobbed against her carrier, still scared. She felt less scared now that she was in her carrier's arms, but that didn't mean that her ordeal wasn't still frightening.

Ratchet held his daughter tightly in his arms as he used his bond with to send her nothing but love and reassurance. :**It's all right, Lightshow. Your sire and I are here. We're not going to let anything happen to you.**:

Lightshow nodded against her carrier's neck, though she was still scared.

Optimus walked over to his mate and daughter and gently wrapped his arms around them before glancing at Galvatron.

The purple mech had been silent throughout all this. He knew that it wasn't his place to interfere now. Besides, he was rather worried about what Ratchet would say or do to him considering the fact that his daughter had been placed in such danger. Even if it hadn't been Galvatron's fault in the first place.

Optimus gently stroked down his daughter's back in a soothing motion. "It's all right, Lightshow. We're here."

Lightshow had slowly started to calm down, feeling reassured by her creators that she was safe and that nothing would happen to her now.

Ratchet himself was rather upset about all of this, although his concern for his daughter had allowed him to block that. "I'll take her back to our quarters." He knew that Optimus had to deal with all of this, and the medic didn't want to upset Lightshow by talking about it in front of her.

Optimus nodded. "I'll come by soon and check on you." He kissed Lightshow's helm.

Ratchet nodded. "Let me know how Elita is." With that, the medic turned and left, wanting to get his daughter out of that tense atmosphere.

Optimus then turned to his brother. "What happened, Galvatron?"

"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that I found that mech attacking Elita and Lightshow. I jumped in to stop him." The purple mech sighed. "And we happened to be fighting in the Dinobots' area, so you know that fragged them off."

Optimus nodded.

"Well, they came in. That mech fragged them off even more by things he said about them. I grabbed Lightshow and Elita and took cover. Then the Dinobots thrashed him." Galvatron finished.

"Any idea how he got in?" Optimus asked.

"No, but I have a feeling that Red Alert is going to have a few things to say about it." Galvatron stated.

Optimus rubbed his forehelm. "Any indication to why he attacked them?"

Galvatron shook his helm. "Jazz is already interrogating him, and Soundwave and Shockwave are nearby just in case Jazz needs help getting information out of him."  
"Didn't get much."

Both mechs turned to see the black and white saboteur standing there.

"Do know that he's called Black Storm." Jazz stated.

"Black Storm?" Galvatron frowned. "Why does that designation sound familiar?"

"'Cause Black Storm used ta be in tha military. He was dishonorably discharged. Rumor had it that he'd become a hired assassin, but nothin' ta prove it. Might be worth considerin'." Jazz stated.

Optimus and Galvatron had to admit that that was a good reason for why the mech had attacked. He was trying to find Ratchet to kill him.

"Soundwave and Shockwave are takin' their turn wit' 'im, so they might have better luck than I did on findin' out more." Jazz stated.

Optimus nodded. "Keep him guarded, Jazz. Once it's safe enough, we'll transport him to the military prison on the base." The Prime didn't want that mech within the palace grounds for any longer than necessary.

"Already getting' things in order ta transport 'im. Should be ready ta get 'im out of here in a couple joor." Jazz stated.

"Good." Optimus should have known that Jazz was going to be on top of things.

"If he's a hired assassin, we might need to consider the possibility that Shadowstrike might be behind this." Galvatron stated.

Optimus glanced at his brother.

"She was insane enough to try to kill him before, Optimus. There's the chance that she would still take that chance.' Galvatron reminded him.

"I know." Optimus shook his helm. "I just don't understand how she managed to find out that Ratchet is alive. He hasn't left the palace since he arrived."

"Somethin' tells meh that Shadowstrike would find out anything that she wanted to know. She ain't one that's gonna give up just because it's gonna be a little hard. No tellin' how she found out, but if she has, then that's big trouble." Jazz stated.

Optimus nodded, not liking the idea that his mate's life might be in danger. And if Ratchet was in danger, then that meant that Springer, Lightshow, and Hot Rod would be in danger as well since the three younglings tended to spend a great deal of time with their carrier.

"Red's on his way here now wit' Inferno. Gotta feeling Red's gonna want to install some major security upgrades, and he's gonna wanna do 'em now." Jazz stated.

Optimus rubbed his faceplates. "At this point, I think I'll be ready to accept whatever upgrades Red Alert wants." He glanced at Galvatron. "Stay here and keep me updated on how Elita's doing."

Galvatron nodded. "Not a problem."

"Come on, Jazz. We have work to do." Optimus stated.

Jazz nodded before following the Prime out of the medbay.

* * *

Ratchet hadn't been surprised when Sideswipe and Sunstreaker showed up and started following him back to his quarters. He had no doubt that his mate had already informed them of what had happened and ordered them to stick close.

Lightshow had ended up crying herself into a light recharge, so she was recharging in her carrier's arms.

Ratchet sent out a comm to Bulkhead and Breakdown. :_I need you two to bring Hot Rod and Springer back.__**:**_

:_No problem, doc._: Breakdown replied.

:_Everything okay?_: Bulkhead asked.

:_No. Not entirely. I'll explain when you get here._: Ratchet replied before ending the comm. He then spoke aloud to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. "Bulkhead and Breakdown are bringing Springer and Hot Rod back."

"Sure thing." Sideswipe said.

"They trustworthy?" Sunstreaker asked. This was his family that they were talking about, and there was no way that the yellow mech was going to let anybot near them that might cause any harm.

"Very. You don't need to worry. Breakdown and Bulkhead are fine." Ratchet replied. He arrived at the door to his quarters and coded the door unlocked before walking into the room. He walked over and gently pried Lightshow's arms from around his neck before he placed his daughter on the couch, covering her up with a thermal blanket that was thrown over the back of the couch.

"What now?" Sideswipe asked.

"Simple." Ratchet turned to face the two. "It's your job to keep me from that mech so that I don't decide to surgically take his spark out and crush is." There was nothing but venom in the medic's voice, and it was clear that he wasn't joking.

"No need to worry. Prime's going to take care of it. He ain't lettin' nothin' happen to any of you." Sideswipe stated.

"I know that, Sideswipe." Ratchet stated. His optics flashed. "But no bot does anything to my creations and gets away with it. He had better hope I don't get my hands on him or-" The medic was cut off as the door to his quarters opened, and Hot Rod and Springer came running in.

"Hi, Carrier!" Hot Rod and Springer both ran over to hug their carrier's legs.

Ratchet smiled down at them, some of his anger and rage fading as he looked at his sons. "Hi there, you two. Did you have fun with your brothers?"

"Yeah!" The two mechlings were obviously excited.

"We've been telling Breakdown all about our family." Springer said.

"We can't wait for him to meet them." Hot Rod added.

Ratchet chuckled. "I promise you that he will."

Breakdown and Bulkhead stood back as they watched their brothers with Ratchet. Both were glad that Springer had ended up with such a good mech taking care of him. If he had had to go into foster care, there's no telling who might have ended up taking care of him. And there was a good chance that the two construction mechs would never be able to see Springer again.

Sunstreaker looked at the two mechs and felt a wave of disgust at their shoddy paintjob. Both mechs had paintjobs that were so scratched up and faded out that he wondered how they weren't ashamed to be in public like that.

:Come on, Sunny. No need in acting like that. Not all bots are as meticulous about their paintjobs as you are._: _Sideswipe reminded him.

_:_Do you see their paintjobs, Sides! It's scratched up everywhere like they spend all of their time wrestling! And it's so faded! It's probably been stellar cycles since they last painted themselves!: Sunstreaker exclaimed.

:Not all bots care about their paintjobs as much as you do, Sunny. Blue didn't when we first met him.: Sideswipe reminded him.

:At least Blue got smart and started caring.: Sunstreaker retorted.

:He didn't start caring, Sunny. Blue lets you repaint him because it makes you happy. He suffers through your obsessive need to repaint us.: Sideswipe replied.

Ratchet sighed before turning to his body guards. "Sideswipe, Sunstreaker. You haven't met Breakdown yet." The medic motioned to the blue mech. "Breakdown, this is Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. They intend to bond with my grand-creation, Bluestreak."

Breakdown inclined his helm them. "Nice to meet you both."

"Carrier, is Lightshow all right?" Springer noticed his sister on the couch.

"Yes, Springer. She's fine. She got a little upset earlier and just needs some recharge." The orange and white mech inclined his helm to their room. "Why don't you two go and play now? I'll be there in a few moments."

The two mechlings nodded their helms before going to the playroom.

Bulkhead and Breakdown were easily able to tell from how tense Ratchet was that something wasn't right with the medic.

"Doc, what's going on? Why are you so tense?" Bulkhead asked.

Ratchet told them what had happened while Lightshow had been with Elita.

"I don't believe it." Breakdown growled. "I ought murder him!"

Lightshow shifted uneasily in her recharge as a whimper escaped from her.

Ratchet walked over and knelt down by his daughter, gently strolling her back between his wings. "Shh. It's all right, Lightshow. I'm right here." The medic continued to sooth her both aloud and through the bond.

:You do realize that the doc is gonna kill ya for botherin' 'Show.: Bulkhead reminded him.

:I know, Bulk. You don't need to remind me.: Breakdown retorted.

Lightshow slowly settled back down into her recharge.

Ratchet glared at Breakdown. "Keep it down." He stood up. "I am unhappy, too, but Optimus will take care of it." The medic then motioned to Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. "That is why they are here. They're my bodyguards."

"Prime wants ya ta be safe, Ratchet." Sideswipe walked over and slung his arm around Ratchet. "Besides, it gives you the chance to get ta know us again."  
Ratchet glared at the red mech. "Move your arm, or lose it." The words came out as a growl.

Sideswipe quickly moved his arm and stepped back to cower behind his brother.

Sunstreaker sighed. "Idiot. You'll never learn."

"So, what now?" Bulkhead asked.

Ratchet sighed. "Optimus and I have the unpleasant task of telling our families about this." Ratchet grimaced. "From what I know of my carrier, she's going to have a fit at knowing that her daughter and granddaughter were both in danger this cycle."

* * *

"Oh, Elita! Are you all right?!" Starlight was over at her daughter and hugging her tightly after learning what had happened to her daughter.

Elita was glad that her carrier was hugging her on her uninjured side. She reached up and patted her carrier's arm. "I'm fine, Carrier. Honest. I just need a little time to heal. Fixit said that I'll make a full recovery." Elita told her.

"Why would somebot do this?" Starlight asked.

"That's what we intend to find out." Optimus assured Starlight.

"We're going to have to make sure that Ratchet and the younglings are safe from now on." Nemesis stated.

"Agreed. If Shadowstrike does know that Ratchet is alive, and if she is behind this, then she is going to try again. We've got to make sure that they are all protected." Swiftwind added.

"Bodyguards wouldn't be a bad idea. Ones to be there every astrosecond of the cycle." Alpha Trion remarked.

"New security upgrades will be necessary." Skyfire added.

"I could build them." Wheeljack offered.

"NOOOOO!"

Wheeljack jumped at the shout. "Just a suggestion."

"I'm already considering various security measures to keep Ratchet and our younglings safe." Optimus assured them.

Ratchet drummed his fingers on his crossed arms while he tapped his pede in irritation. He was right there, and they were talking about him like he wasn't!

"Good. We need to make sure nothing happens to Ratchet this time." Starlight stated.

Ratchet growled. "I'm right here, you know."

All optics ended up on the rather irate medic.

"Sorry, love. We forgot." Optimus told him, hoping to stop the medic from kicking him out of the berth.

"Plus, wasn't your security director supposed to come here and speak with you about possible upgrades?" Ratchet asked.

"Yes. I'm meeting with Red Alert later." The red and blue Prime grimaced. "That is going to be fun."

Ratchet raised an optic ridge.

"Meet Red Alert once, and you'll understand." Wheeljack explained.

* * *

Ratchet had been in the meeting with Red Alert for only five kliks, and he understood why Optimus had dreaded it. The paranoia glitch, while good for finding every little loophole in security, was enough to drive the bots bonkers!

"Prime, if you want absolute security, then you are going to have to make sacrifices. These proposals are the best way to ensure that Ratchet and the younglings are safe." Red Alert insisted.

Optimus resisted the urge to rub his faceplates in frustration. "Red Alert, I agree with most of them, but I think that security cameras in personal quarters is a bit far." After all, the Prime didn't want anybot to see him interfacing on a security camera with his mate.

"Sir, if this assassin hadn't come across Elita when he did, he might have gotten into the palace. And if he's as good as Jazz, we wouldn't have known until it was too late." Red Alert argued. He handed a datapad to the Prime. "I've spoken with Jazz on how he would do it if it was he trying to get in, and I've compiled a list of security measures that would stop it."

Optimus nearly groaned at the size of the list. He was getting a major processor-ache.

Ratchet was glad that all three younglings were in their room. He wasn't sure seeing their sire this stressed out would be good for them.

After another ten kliks of Red Alert's ranting, Optimus was two steps from having the security undergo psychiatric evaluation.

Ratchet sighed. "Red Alert."

The mech looked over at Ratchet.

"The addition of a multitude of cameras is a good idea. And adding in the hand recognition system so that only those allowed her could get in are good ideas. However, don't you think having cameras in the personal quarters is going a bit too far?"

"No, I don't. We need absolute security, and-" Red Alert started.

Ratchet decided to stop him before he could go into a full-blown rant. "Perhaps we could have cameras in the main room, and perhaps the other rooms. We could leave out personal room out, though."  
"But-" Red Alert started.

"Red Alert, would you really want somebot seeing what you and Inferno do in the privacy of your berth room?" Ratchet asked.

Red Alert thought about that and knew the answer. "No. I wouldn't."

"You can see where we are coming from then. The cameras in this room would be fine, and a good measure, but not our personal berth room." Ratchet stated.

"What about the younglings' room?" Red Alert asked.

"I believe for their safety it would be acceptable." And Ratchet intended to argue having them removed the moment that this deal with Shadowstrike had been taken care of.

:**You realize that it means we can't do anything in the main room now, right?**: Optimus asked.

:**Would you rather deal with him going on and on about the issues or compromise on a level he'll agree to?**: Ratchet asked.

:**Carry on.**: The less Optimus had to deal with Red Alert and his paranoia, the better off he was going to be.

* * *

Grindor had been rather shocked to learn that Elita had been attacked by an assassin. He had been even more shocked when he learned that Lightshow had been there and was almost harmed in the attack.

It now made sense to the Senate head on why Optimus had agreed to a lot of the security measures that Red Alert had put into place. Grindor had known that Optimus normally refused the security upgrades Red Alert always recommended, and now Grindor understood why the Prime had agreed to them.

Optimus sighed. "So, Red Alert is going to be making the upgrades now."

"I must say that I cannot blame you for deciding to make those upgrades. I would not take a chance with Ratchet's safety, either." Grindor agreed.

Optimus nodded. "Ratchet has asked for a psychologist that he knows from back in Creon to come in and help us. He thinks that the psychologist might be able to help us understand Shadowstrike's thinking at the moment, which might give us an advantage."

Grindor nodded. "Might not be a bad idea. He would be impartial for the most part."

Optimus rubbed his faceplates. "Primus knows why I agree to all this."

Grindor smirked. "Because you are as much of a strutless coward in the face of your mate as I am."

Optimus groaned. "I know."  
"Really? I wasn't aware that I was such a problem."

Optimus jumped out of his chair and looked up quickly to see his very un-amused mate standing there.

While Ratchet's faceplates remained neutral, he let his displeasure made know to his mate through their bond.

"Um, Ratchet, I thought you were still with our creations." Optimus stated.

"Breakdown, Knock Out, and Bulkhead are in our quarters watching them." Ratchet replied.

Optimus had a feeling that he was in deep slag for his comment, so he'd better figure out something to say fast. "Ratchet, you haven't met Grindor, head of the Senate." The Prime gestured to the mech standing in front of his desk, trying to take Ratchet's gaze off of himself.

Ratchet did turn his attention to the senate head before offering him a smile. "Senator Grindor, it is good to finally meet you. Optimus has told me a great deal about you." The medic offered a hand to the mech.

Grindor shook Ratchet's hand. "It's good to finally see you again. Your presence here is a welcome."  
"Thank you." Ratchet replied. :**We're not through talking about this, Optimus. Not by a long shot.**:

Optimus knew that he was in deep slag.

"Is your daughter all right?" Grindor asked, a bit worried.

"She'll be fine. She was frightened by what happened, but Lightshow will be just fine." Ratchet replied.

"That is good to hear." Grindor replied. He knew that there were other things that he had to take care of, and he most certainly didn't want to be caught in the middle of the Prime getting slagged by Ratchet. "There are some things that I must attend to." He glanced back at Optimus. "Please keep me updated about what happens with that assassin, Prime."

"I will." Optimus assured him.

Grindor then left the room to head back to his office.

Ratchet turned his gaze back to Optimus. "Now, what is this about me turning you into a strutless coward?"

Optimus knew that he was in deep slag now.

* * *

Shadowstrike had heard on a news feed that an assassin had been caught within the confines of the palace and had reported that Elita-1 had been attacked, but was expected to make a complete recovery. The report had also stated that the assassin had been captured and was currently being questioned official interrogators.

In her utter rage, Shadowstrike threw the cube of energon that she had been drinking against the wall. "That slagging idiot! He was supposed to kill her! Not let her live!" The Seeker started to pace the floor.

How hard was it to get rid of one femme? It should have been easy! She had gotten rid of Ratchet in one blow and almost had everything she wanted had Elita not gotten in the way.

Shadowstrike snarled. "If Black Storm was too incompetent to get the job done, then I'll just get someone who can get the job done!"

After all, there were a lot of assassins out there who would happily go into the palace and do what Black Storm could not. As long as she paid them enough.

Shadowstrike smirked. "I'll make sure that Elita-1 dies. She'll pay for getting in my way and taking everything from me."

Shadowstrike went to get in touch with her next assassin, intent on ending Elita once and for all.

* * *

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